150) 


VALENTINO 


AN  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  SIXTEENTH 
CENTURY  IN  ITALY 


WILLIAM    WALDORF    ASTOR 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

MDCCCLXXXV 


PS 


fltf 


COPYRIGHT,  1885,  BY 
WILLIAM  WALDORF   ASTOR. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little  &  Co., 
Nos.  10  to  20  Astor  Place,  New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Castle  and  Vatican 


CHAPTER  II. 
A  Morning  Call  .......................  .  ......     26 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  'Borgias  .................................     43 


CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Old  Love  and  the  New  .....................     75 

CHAPTER  V. 
Ormes  .......................................      g 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Urbino  ................................  .  .....   120 

CHAPTER  VII. 
For?a  Maggiore  ..............................   144 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
A  Falcon  Hunt  ..........................  ....   168 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1  88 


CHAPTER  X. 
Diplomacy  ...................................  208 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Magione  .....................................  229 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Revolt  ......................................  247 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
'By  the  Tiber  .................................  264 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XIV. 


A  Masterpiece 


CHAPTER   XV. 

The  belvedere  Villa . . 


Conclusion 


29? 


VALENTINO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

CASTLE   AND   VATICAN. 

IN  Rome,  on  a  crisp  December  morning  in  the 
year  1501,  Monsignor  E/occamura,  Governor-Gen- 
eral and  Prelate  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  stood 
at  the  rampart  of  that  fortress  gazing  upon  the 
eddying  Tiber  at  his  feet,  upon  the  houses  op- 
posite, and  upon  the  Alban  hills  stretching  away 
southward  in  varying  tints  of  verdure.  He  had 
stepped  from  the  balcony  of  a  colonnaded  building 
which  served  as  residence  for  himself  and  his  mil- 
itary lieutenants.  In  the  centre  of  the  court  rose 
the  massive  tower  of  Hadrian's  tomb,  which  served 
the  double  use  of  arsenal  and  dungeon.  Along 
the  castle  terrace  loitered  a  couple  of  cross-bow- 
men ;  at  the  gate  a  dozen  halberdiers  sat  upon 
rude  benches  throwing  dice,  while  one  of  their 
number  stood  sentry  ;  over  all  rested  the  grace  and 
glory  of  the  Italian  sun,  cordial  and  beneficent 
even  on  a  winter's  day. 


2  VALENTINO. 

Within  the  enclosure  an  armorer  worked  in 
leisurely  fashion  at  a  corselet,  a  few  soldiers 
were  wiping  off  their  harness,  two  bent  over  a 
grindstone,  but  all  of  them  ever  and  anon  cast 
a  look  towards  the  cook's  stalls,  where  hung  a 
score  of  slaughtered  sheep  and  pigs,  while  a  dozen 
menials  busied  themselves  in  preparations  :  for 
to-night  was  a  feast  in  honor  of  the  nuptial  cor- 
tege from  Ferrara  which  should  presently  pass  the 
gates  of  Home  and  betake  itself  to  the  Vatican  to 
lay  its  homage  before  Lucretia  Borgia,  on  behalf 
of  her  new  husband,  and  the  garrison  was  to  be 
regaled  with  meat  stew,  and  puddings  scalded  with 
olive  oil,  and  tuns  of  the  wine  of  Velletri.  The 
commander  surveyed  the  scene — the  passers  on 
the  bridge,  the  neat  walk  along  the  rampart  flanked 
with  heaps  of  cannon  balls  and  iron  bolts  for  the 
cross-bowmen,  the  groups  within  the  walls.  Then 
turning  towards  the  doorway,  he  called  : 

"  Capitano  Vela." 

A  burly  officer,  some  years  the  commendatore's 
senior,  appeared.  "  Capitano,"  said  his  superior, 
"at  noon  I  go  to  the  Ponte  Molle,  where  Don 
Michele  will  align  the  troops.  The  necessary 
orders  have  been  given,  you  will  see  them  re- 
peated. Of  course  I  leave  you  in  command  :  mind 
well  the  tower,  where,"  he  added  with  a  smile,  "  I 
go  to  salute  our  amiable  guest." 

"It  shall  be  so  done,  rnonsignore,"  replied  the 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  3 

other  with  deference — then  as  his  chief  turned  he 
muttered,  "  Left  in  command !  the  others  go  to  galas 
and  I  stay  in  this  dungeon ;  the  others  get  promo- 
tion, while  I  am  all  my  life  captain  of  pikemen.  It 
would  be  like  them  to  bid  me  watch  on  the  ram- 
part to-night  while  they  eat  and  drink  themselves 
besotted." 

Meanwhile,  the  commendatore  had  reached  the 
door  of  the  tower,  upon  which  he  knocked  ;  a  sen- 
try peeped  out  through  an  iron  grating  and  imme- 
diately opened.  Within  was  a  guard-room  furnished 
with  a  table,  some  beds  of  hide,  laid  on  rough 
trestles,  a  few  stools,  and  against  the  wall,  racks 
containing  halberds  and  swords  and  a  line  of 
arquebuses.  The  commander  ascended  a  stair- 
way, over  the  top  of  which  fell  an  iron  grating ; 
this  was  unbolted  and  raised  by  another  sentry 
outside  a  chamber  within  which  had  been  con- 
fined for  two  weeks  Count  Isidore  Savelli,  prisoner 
of  Cesare  Borgia,  abducted  from  Kocca  Savello  for 
reasons  unknown  to  his  captors  and  jailers  alike. 
Drawing  back  the  bolt,  he  stepped  in  and  bowed 
courteously  to  the  captive,  who  rose  from  his  seat 
without  otherwise  replying  to  the  salutation. 

"  What  is  it  this  morning,  commendatore,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  a  release,  or  a  death  warrant,  or  an  in- 
quiry whether  I  am  going  to  turn  butterfly  and 
make  my  way  out  through  the  bars  of  this  window  ?  " 

"  Neither,  that  it  know  of,"  suavely  replied  the 


4  VALENTINO. 

other,  "  but  it  is  two  days  since  I  had  the  honor  of 
inquiring  after  your  health,  and  to-day  being  a 
feast  with  us,  I  thought  to  bring  a  pleasure  by  in- 
forming you  that  a  pasty  made  by  my  own  cook  and 
served  with  flasks  of  white  wine  and  red  will  be  on 
your  table  after  Ave  Maria.  And  if  some  further 
relish  be  wanted " 

"  Prithee,"  broke  in  the  prisoner,  "  enough  said 
of  dainties  to  a  man  who  wants  no  more  than  a 
crust.  But  if  you  would  do  me  a  kindness,  and  one 
that  should  bring  you  the  blessing  of  my  patron 
saint,  let  one  of  your  scullions  give  this  filthy 
abode  a  cleaning.  Look  at  the  cobwebs  and  the 
dust ;  it  has  not  been  swept  in  a  twelvemonth. 
Yesterday,  while  having  my  fifteen  minutes  on  the 
terrace,  I  noticed  a  lusty  fellow  polishing  a  lot  of 
horse  accoutrements,  and  methinks  if  he  could  be 
spared  me  for  an  hour  with  a  bucket  of  water,  all 
your  pasties  and  pots  o'  wine  might  go  to  my  fat 
friend  Capitauo  Yela,  who  loves  them  so  much  and 
who  keeps  me  company  at  meal-time." 

In  saying  these  last  words  the  count  smiled 
with  a  wry  grimace.  He  alluded  to  his  refusal  the 
day  after  his  capture  to  eat  or  drink  of  anything  of 
which  one  of  the  officers  of  the  castle  had  not  pre- 
viously partaken.  And  while  the  commendatore 
had  been  talking  of  the  pasty  so  carefully  pre- 
pared, the  count  was  reflecting  that  so  particular  a 
dish  was  one  to  beware  of.  The  temptation  might 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  5 

be  great  to  make  tlie  wedding  feast  one  of  funereal 
import  for  him. 

The  commendatore  glanced  round  the  dim  walls 
and  said,  "  In  truth  you  are  the  first  that  ever  con- 
descended to  observe  the  condition  of  this  humble 
apartment,  but,"  he  added  after  a  queer  hesitation, 
"it  is  not  all  who  remain  so  long  as  you  have 
done." 

"  Stabbed  in  the  back  while  eating,  or  smothered 
as  they  slept,  eh?  May  my  departure  be  other- 
wise." 

The  commendante  gave  a  shrug  of  the  shoul- 
ders. "  Let  us  have  no  more  sombre  words,"  he 
said.  "  The  varlet  you  spoke  of  shall  be  at  your 
service  shortly,  and  I  wish  you  good  appetite  in 
spite  of  the  drawbacks."  And  so  saying  the  com- 
mendatore made  an  inclination,  left  the  room, 
barred  the  door  as  before,  and  returned  to  the 
rampart  terrace. 

An  hour  later  an  unkempt,  ill-clad  man  made 
his  way  up  the  tower  stair  bearing  cleaning  uten- 
sils and  water,  and  grumbling  as  he  went  all  man- 
ner of  plagues  upon  the  head  of  so  troublesome  a 
prisoner. 

"  Ho,  master  sentry ! "  he  cried,  on  arriving  at 
the  trap-door,  "  lift  up  the  gate ;  here  is  a  dainty 
soul  within  must  have  his  kennel  cleaned,  and  the 
commander  could  do  me  no  better  turn  this  holi- 
day than  to —  What,  Como,  is  it  thou !  "  he  ex- 


6  VALENTINO. 

claimed,  as  the  guard's  face  became  distinguish- 
able, "  was  there  ever  such  a  fool's  errand  as  this, 
to  make  a  tidy  nest  for  a  man  who  is  presently  to 
be  laid  under  the  sod  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  for  that  very  reason  he  wants  to  have 
a  clean  face  while  he  may,"  replied  the  other. 
"The  commander  ordered  me  to  admit  you,  and 
no  doubt  he  thoughtfully  bade  thee  bring  me 
that  flask  that  sways  at  thy  girdle ;  we  are  friends 
of  only  a  day  or  two,  but  I  am  willing  to  drink  to 
thy  health  all  the  same."  And  so  saying  the  sol- 
dier detached  the  fiaschetto  from  its  place  and 
stuffed  it  into  his  own  side-pocket. 

"  Forsooth,  Como,  thou  hast  the  freest  ways  of 
any  man  in  the  garrison.  I  brought  it  to  wash  out 
my  own  mouth  presently,  and  now " 

"And  now,"  interrupted  the  soldier  with  a  grin, 
"  make  haste  and  perhaps  there  will  be  a  sup  for 
thee  at  the  bottom."  And  so  saying  the  sentry  un- 
barred the  prison,  and  pushed  the  other  in,  closing 
and  rebolting  the  door. 

At  sight  of  the  untidy  water-bearer  the  prisoner 
rose  to  his  feet  in  silence,  while  his  lips  grew  white 
with  emotion,  and  as  the  bars  grated  back  into 
their  place,  he  stepped  abruptly  forward,  threw 
his  arms  about  the  neck  of  the  supposed  attend- 
ant, and  said  in  a  tremulous  voice  : 

"  Oliverotto,  my  deliverer,  at  length  the  end  is 
near." 


CASTLE  AND   VATICAN.  7 

"  Hush,"  ejaculated  the  other,  "  not  so  loud ;  and 
let  us  drown  our  words  while  we  talk  ; "  and  so  say- 
ing he  whom  the  prisoner  called  Oliverotto  plunged 
his  broom  into  the  bucket  and  sent  a  splash 
against  the  wall  nearest  the  sentry.  Then  he 
turned  and  whispered,  "  Are  the  bars  cut  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Savelli,  "  the  saw  held  out  almost 
to  the  end ;  a  good  tug  would  bring  two  of  them 
away." 

"  Then  it  must  be  for  to-night,"  rejoined  Olive- 
rotto, making  a  great  scraping  across  the  ceiling 
until  he  stood  beside  the  prisoner's  bed,  which,  as 
in  the  case  of  those  used  for  the  garrison,  consisted 
of  a  leather  pallet,  and  deftly  slipped  under  it  a 
twist  of  small  knotted  cord  which  had  been  con- 
cealed beneath  his  jerkin. 

"  From  this  window  to  the  rampart,"  he  pursued 
hurriedly,  "  are  thirty  feet,  and  the  rope  is  beyond 
that  length.  From  the  rampart  to  the  ditch 
twenty-five  more.  Here  is  a  knife.  Use  the  last 
bit  of  the  rope,  cut  your  tunic  into  strips,  and, 
as  for  the  other  half  way — why,  the  mud  is  soft 
at  the  bottom.  The  brick-work  of  the  ditch  to 
the  westward  has  crumbled ;  you  can  climb  it  and 
thence  edge  yourself  to  the  elm  trees,  where  you 
will  be  out  of  sight  of  the  sentries — and  the  sen- 
tries will  be  heavy-eyed  to-night.  Then  run  to  the 
left  till  you  strike  a  cross-road,  and  a  couple  of  Co- 
lonna's  men  will  be  somewhere  thereabout  with 


8  VALENTINO. 

horses.  Leave  this  tower  when  the  bells  strike 
midnight ;  two  hours  later  you  can  be  in  the  sad- 
dle, and  sunrise  will  find  you  at  Kocca  Savello." 
And  the  speaker  plunged  his  brush  anew  into  the 
water  and  used  it  upon  the  incrusted  dirt  of  years. 
"Gallant  fellow,"  exclaimed  Savelli,  under  his 
breath,  "  you  save  my  life— how  can  I  ever  repay 

you?" 

"Easily,"  answered  the  other,  in  the  same 
guarded  voice ;  "  I  have  not  done  this  for  love 
of  you,  be  sure  of  that.  Your  cousin  Elvira  left 
Ferrara  four  weeks  ago.  Why  she  came  here  I 
know  not.  Cesare  had  left  the  army,  and  there 
being  nothing  to  detain  me,  I  accorded  myself  a 
hasty  leave  and  followed  her.  Never  having  been 
to  Borne,  I  thought  to  pass  unrecognized.  By 
chance  I  learned  of  your  arrest.  With  you  dead 
there  would  be  no  one  to  maintain  my  suit.  The 
only  way  to  get  near  you — and  a  bold  way  of  se- 
curing a  hiding-place — was  to  beg  a  menial's  em- 
ployment in  the  castle.  The  man  Pietro  whom 
you  had  at  Ferrara  was  here  with  the  same  pur- 
pose, and  another  he  called  Titolano.  We  agreed 
to  stake  our  lives  together  for  your  rescue.  I  may 
have  small  chance  with  Elvira — we  will  speak  of 
that  hereafter — but  I  have  a  thought — a  thought 
say  I — my  brain  is  ablaze,  my  heart  is  in  a  fever — 
mind  you,  in  my  aim  to  save,  if  not  to  win,  you 
shall  be  steadfast ! " 


CASTLE  AND   VATICAN.  9 

The  count  meditated  a  moment  in  astonishment 
at  the  depth  and  intensity  of  the  other's  passion. 
Then  he  said,  "You  know  I  cannot  compel  my 
cousin,  but  I  will  do  all  I  can." 

"  Will  you  work  as  earnestly  for  me  as  I  have 
striven  for  you  ?  " 

"  So  far  as  my  efforts  can  be  made  to  apply  I 
will." 

"  To  apply"  echoed  Oliverotto,  " I  and  Pietro 
and  Titolano  did  not  talk  thus  coolly  five  nights 
since  when  we  resolved  your  rescue." 

A  shadow  gathered  in  Savelli's  eyes.  "Where 
is  Pietro?  "  he  asked. 

"  Arrested  on  suspicion  before  he  had  been  in 
the  castle  two  hours." 

"And  Titolano?" 

"Was  seized  last  Monday  as  a  supposed  spy. 
He  came  disguised  as  a  friar — pardie,  he  looked 
like  anything  else  !  " 

"And  then?"  ejaculated  the  other. 

"And  then,"  concluded  Oliverotto,  impassively, 
"  he  was  taken  before  Monsignor  Koccamura,  and 
that  afternoon  they  whipped  him  to  death.  But 
enough.  Though  willing  to  risk  the  gallows  again 
for  Elvira,  to  hazard  once  for  you  is  sufficient. 
Shift  for  yourself  now.  I  shall  have  left  this  castle 
ere  noon."  And  so  saying  he  rapped  on  the  prison 
door,  which,  a  moment  after,  was  again  closed  and 

bolted  behind  him. 
1* 


10  VALENTINO. 

The  sun  was  at  the  meridian  when  Monsignor 
Roccamura  and  his  suite  rode  across  the  bridge  of 
St.  Angelo  attended  by  their  battalion  of  men  of 
war,  steel-clad  and  bearing  a  forest  of  pikes.  The 
commendatore  had  exchanged  his  riding  costume 
of  the  morning  for  a  suit  of  velvet  embroidered  with 
gold.  The  way  led  through  narrow  streets,  by  the 
Corso,  to  what  is  now  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  out- 
side the  gate  of  which  the  monsignor  stationed  his 
followers. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  the 
approach  to  Eome  by  the  Ponte  Molle  was  along  a 
country  road  between  almost  vacant  fields.  A  few 
common  buildings  stood  where  now  an  almost  con- 
tinuous row  of  houses  lines  the  street ;  and  where 
to-day  extend  the  alluring  groves  of  the  Borghese 
Villa,  stretched  meadow  lands  interspersed  with 
clumps  of  trees. 

The  Piazza  del  Popolo  bore  no  resemblance  in 
1500  to  its  present  aspect.  The  Monte  Pincio  was 
a  deserted  waste  ;  where  is  now  the  Bipetta  were 
canebrakes,  the  refuge  of  water-fowl.  There  was 
neither  obelisk  nor  fountain,  nor  the  twin  churches 
of  Santa  Maria.  Even  the  gate  was  of  different 
form  and  the  church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo 
was  the  only  building  in  view.  There  was  no  Villa 
Medici,  no  obelisk  upon  Trinita  dei  Monti.  To  the 
left  a  lane,  now  called  il  Babuino,  led  to  vegetable 
gardens,  converted  two  centuries  later  to  the  Piazza 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  11 

di  Spagna  ;  there  was  no  Propaganda,  no  Barcaccia, 
no  flight  of  steps.  The  Corso  was  a  broad  track 
deriving  its  name  from  the  races  which  at  Carnival 
time  were  run  upon  it  by  buffaloes,  by  Barbary 
steeds,  and  by  half -naked  Jews ;  where  now  stands 
the  Palazzo  Sciarra,  it  was  spanned  by  the  Arch  of 
Claudius — beyond  was  the  Palazzo  di  Venezia 
— in  appearance  but  little  altered;  there  was  no 
regular  line  of  houses,  and  not  one  of  the  palaces 
of  the  modern  nobility  had  yet  been  built  from  the 
wreck  of  ancient  Rome.  The  general  condition  of 
the  city  was  little  better  than  its  abject  state  of  one 
hundred  years  before.  Exposed  to  fires  and  inun- 
dations, decimated  by  pestilence,  the  buffet  of  in- 
terminable wars,  massacred  by  hirelings,  outraged 
by  the  nobles,  pillaged  by  the  Popes,  tortured, 
poisoned,  drowned  in  the  Tiber — how  low  indeed 
had  fallen  the  Populus  Eomanus !  So  great  had 
been  the  devastation  that  the  locality  of  the  Forum 
had  become  a  matter  of  conjecture,  and  the  Mons 
Capitolinus  was  known  as  the  sheep  pasture  of 
Monte  Caprino,  upon  whose  crest  stood  the  solitary 
church  of  Ara  Cceli. 

The  calvacade  sent  by  Duke  Ercole  of  Ferrara 
to  receive  the  bride  of  his  son  Alfonso  had  halted 
at  the  bridge  ;  it  comprised  five  hundred  persons, 
all  weary  enough  as  their  jaded  steeds  brought 
them  to  the  end  of  a  fourteen  days'  winter  journey 
through  the  Apennines,  over  difficult  mountain 


12  VALENTINO. 

roads,  in  the  face  of  dust  and  rain,  and  often  with 
but  insufficient  shelter  at  night.  But  to-day  they 
had  donned  fresh  gala  dresses,  and  filling  the  air 
with  music,  marshalled  themselves  for  a  triumphal 
entrance.  Two  thousand  horse  and  foot  came  to 
their  rencontre,  forming  on  either  side  their  line  of 
march.  Nearer  the  gate  advanced  the  bride's  re- 
doubtable brother  Cesare  Borgia,  already  famous, 
though  aged  but  twenty-seven  years.  He  was 
dressed  in  purple  velvet  lined  with  violet,  and  wore 
a  gold  belt.  He  was  mounted  on  a  superb  charger, 
caparisoned  with  trappings  studded  with  gold  and 
precious  stones.  Behind  him  followed  a  procession 
of  four  thousand  men — gentlemen  on  horseback, 
his  own  body-guard  of  arquebusiers,  the  squadron 
of  Turkish  light  horse,  troopers,  pikemen — all  in 
successive  groups,  brilliant  alike  in  costume  and 
weapons.  Last  of  all  came  the  Swiss  Guard,  in- 
stituted in  1475  by  Sixtus  the  Fourth,  and  still 
somewhat  of  a  novelty  in  their  costume  of  black  and 
yellow  velvet,  which  differed  but  little  from  that  de- 
signed for  them  in  1540  by  Michael  Angelo.  Upon 
the  approach  of  Cardinal  Hypolite,  the  commander 
of  the  Ferrarese,  and  Don  Ferrante,  brother  of 
the  groom,  for  whom  he  appeared  as  proxy,  Cesare 
sprang  to  the  ground,  and  hastening  forward  to 
meet  his  father's  illustrious  guests,  embraced  each 
of  them  on  both  cheeks.  This  formality  over,  they 
rode  on  together  to  the  gate  where  a  large  assem- 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  13 

blage  of  prelates  was  in  waiting,  and  where  ad- 
dresses of  welcome  lasting  two  hours  were  made. 
At  length  the  motley  and  much  enduring  host  filed 
into  the  Corso,  and  crossing  the  bridge  of  St.  An- 
gelo  amid  salvos  of  artillery,  approached  the  Vati- 
can, from  a  window  of  which  Pope  Alexander  Sixth, 
his  daughter  Lucretia,  and  the  beautiful  Giulia 
Farnese,  observed  their  arrival. 

While  Alexander,  attended  by  a  dozen  cardinals, 
received  the  ambassadors,  Don  Ferrante,  conducted 
by  Cesare  Borgia,  was  led  to  a  vast  stairway,  at 
the  top  of  which  waited  Lucretia,  robed  in  white 
and  resting  on  the  arm  of  an  old  courtier.  Her 
dress  was  heavily  embroidered  with  gold ;  from 
her  shoulders  hung  a  brown  velvet  cape  fringed 
with  fur ;  the  narrow  sleeves  of  brocade  were 
slashed  after  the  Spanish  fashion ;  her  hair  was 
bound  with  a  fillet  of  gold,  supporting  two  rows  of 
pearls ;  around  her  shapely  throat  she  wore  a 
heavy  collar  from  which  hung  an  uncut  ruby.  The 
Ferrarese  envoy  lost  no  time  in  writing  home  his 
agreeable  impressions.  "  She  showed  herself  dis- 
creet and  amiable,  good  natured  and  respectfully 
devoted  to  your  excellency  and  to  the  illustrious 
Don  Alfonso.  Moreover,  she  possesses  a  finished 
grace  in  all  her  accomplishments,  which  is  veiled 
by  a  modest  diffidence.  Her  beauty  would  be  am- 
ply sufficient,  even  were  it  not  enhanced  by  a  rare 
charm  of  manner.  She  is  also  a  perfect  Christian ; 


14  VALENTINO. 

to-morrow  she  goes  to  confession,  and  receives  the 
Eucharist  at  Christmas." 

Among  the  hundreds  assembled  at  the  Vatican 
was  Monsignor  Roccamura.  He  found  the  great 
audience-chamber  filled  with  the  concourse  of  the 
Ferrarese  and  of  the  Papal  Court.  His  Holiness, 
in  the  splendor  of  jewelled  vestments,  received  the 
envoys  with  smiling  cordiality,  bade  them  wel- 
come, and  gave  assurance  that  this  marriage  oc- 
casioned him  the  liveliest  satisfaction,  which  was, 
for  once,  the  truth.  He  was  still  a  handsome  man, 
with  fresh,  rosy  face  and  luminous  brown  eyes, 
though  the  years  with  their  burden  had  whitened 
his  hair  and  bent  a  little  his  figure.  Standing 
about  were  knots  of  officers  and  courtiers  and  the 
ambassadors  of  France  and  Spain  and  Yenice,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  hall  sat  Alexander's  far-famed 
favorite,  Giulia  Farnese,  surrounded  by  a  group 
of  ladies  and  cavaliers.  They  were  talking  in 
the  familiar  form  of  conversation  of  that  time, 
half  of  elaborate  circumlocution,  half  of  out- 
spoken freedom  that  would  be  startling  to  modern 
ears. 

"For  my  part,"  said  the  Contessina  Gallinara 
from  behind  her  fan,  "  I  do  not  like  the  Venetian, 
nor  any  of  his  compatriots — they  are  all  flatterers." 

"It  is  evident,  my  dear,"  said  Giulia,  "that  he 
has  not  flattered  you  enough." 

"  Nay,"  said  Cardinal  Corneto,  till  recently  con- 


CASTLE  AND   VATICAN.  15 

fidential  secretary  to  the  Pope,  and  whose  appre- 
ciation of  youth  and  beauty  had  deepened  in  pro- 
portion as  wrinkles  and  infirmities  had  come  to 
him,  "  the  signorina  should  not  take  offence  if  men 
now  and  then  forget  a  delicate  reserve  and  tell  her 
what  all  feel  and  all  were  fain  to  say." 

"  It  is  to  be  hoped  then  for  the  virtue  of  Traste- 
vere,"  answered  Giulia,  "  that  all  young  men  have 
not  the  good  intentions  of  ambassadors  and  cardi- 
nals. But  here,"  she  added,  "  comes  a  wench,  I 
warrant,  would  cajole  austerity  itself." 

The  lady  thus  referred  to  was  Elvira  d'Este,  who 
some  hours  before  had  been  the  subject  of  Olive- 
rotto's  hasty  discourse  with  Savelli.  Arrived  from 
Ferrara  a  few  days  previously,  she  was  one  of 
the  guests  at  Court.  Her  coming  had  been  unan- 
nounced, and  so  sudden  a  departure  was  explained 
only  by  her  attachment  of  years  ago  for  Lucretia, 
when  as  girls  they  studied  at  the  convent  of  San 
Sisto ;  for  Italians  of  the  sixteenth  century  were  too 
civilized  to  ask  questions  upon  delicate  matters. 

Giulia  Farnese  was  morbidly  jealous  of  her  ven- 
erable, yet  quick  affectioned  lover,  and  towards  the 
Countess  of  Este  this  feeling  had  sprung  to  a 
furious  passion  at  the  mere  suspicion  that  the 
youthful  Elvira  had  designs  upon  the  favors  of  the 
Pontiff,  an  ambition  of  which  she  assumed  every 
woman  capable.  Elvira  had  entered  attended  by  a 
Spanish  officer  named  Brazos,  at  the  side  of  whose 


16  VALENTINO. 

broad  proportions  her  lithe  figure  gained  some- 
thing beyond  its  usual  grace. 

Cesare  Borgia  had  returned  to  this  apartment 
some  minutes  before,  and  at  this  moment  the  vis- 
itor, who  had  been  conversing  with  him,  and  who 
was  the  Venetian  envoy  referred  to  by  the  ladies, 
bowed  and  withdrew ;  Roccamura  immediately  ad- 
vanced and  greeted  his  master  with  dignified  salu- 
tation. 

"May  I  have  many  years,  you  say,"  replied  the 
other ;  "  so  hope  I,  though  fortune  has  brought  us 
to  troubled  waters.  Between  the  French  and  the 
Spaniards,  next  spring  will  wear  a  grim  visage ; 
worst  of  all  we  have  to  beware  of  some  who  are  not 
open  foes  ;"  then,  as  if  conscious  of  an  indiscreet  ut- 
terance, he  pursued  hastily  with  an  amused  expres- 
sion, "this  schemer  Zorzi  has  been  talking  to  me 
about  the  seizure  of  Savelli ;  he  thinks  it  covers 
some  political  stroke,  as  if  we  were  not  sufficiently 
in  alliance  with  the  Orsini ;  well,  well,  hold  you  the 
prisoner  safe  the  while." 

"  He  must  be  bird  or  lizard  to  leave  the  tower  of 
St.  Angelo,"  answered  Roccamura,  and  he  bowed 
again  as  with  a  pleasant  salute  Cesare  turned  away 
and  moved  toward  a  conservatory  filled  with 
plants  and  tropical  birds,  whither  the  ladies  and 
some  of  the  men  had  sought  refuge  from  the 
throng. 

"You  are  fortunate,  as  ever,  to-night, "said  Mon- 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  17 

signer  Eoccamura  to  Brazos,  who  was  passing  by, 
"  always  the  favorite  of  beauty." 

"  Favorite,  indeed,"  laughed  the  other  ;  "  would 
.  that  I  were  so  ;  when  I  look  upon  the  marbles  of 
your  sculptors  I  sigh  to  think  they  may  not  love  or 
be  loved,  but  when  I  gaze  on  the  lady  of  Este,  I 
would  fain  turn  her  to  marble  that  her  form  might 
endure,  even  though  in  heartless  beauty." 

"Sentimentalizing,"  retorted  Roccamura,  as  he 
slapped  the  other  condescendingly  on  the  shoul- 
der, "we  shall  have  you  writing  sonnets  anon, 
or  singing  ditties  with  your  cross-bowmen  for 
chorus." 

Cesare  Borgia  made  his  way  to  the  side  of  Elvira 
d'Este,  who  was  standing  alone  in  the  midst  of 
palms  and  clustering  flowers.  She  looked  up  as  he 
joined  her,  and  one  less  well  informed  than  we 
might  have  supposed  her  awaiting  his  coming. 
"  Fair  cousin,"  said  he,  taking  her  half  playfully, 
half  gallantly  by  the  hand,  which  he  raised  to  his 
lips,  "  you  are  not  pleased  at  the  sight  of  so  many 
strangers." 

She  let  her  hand  rest  upon  his  for  a  moment  ere 
slowly  withdrawing  it  she  said :  "  What  should  I 
care  for  strangers  so  I  knew  myself  welcome  to 
you?" 

"  And  what  marvellous  circumstance  makes  you 
think  yourself  otherwise?  Do  not  Giulia's  sour 
looks  show  that  you  are  only  too  welcome  ?  " 


18  VALENTINO. 

"  Then  you  do  not  think  it  overbold  in  me  to 
have  come  unbidden  ?  " 

"You  shall  not  easily  leave  us,"  answered 
Cesare. 

"What  would  the  gossips  say?"  replied  the  girl 
with  a  laugh  and  a  faint  flush ;  "  and  so  I  shall 
return  to  Ferrara  as  soon  as  I  dare." 

"  As  soon  as  you  dare  !  "  exclaimed  Cesare,  "  what 
strange  words  are  these  ?  " 

"  It  is  too  long  a  story,  nor  will  you  think  it  a 
pretty  romance  when  told." 

"  And  when  shall  I  hear  it  ?  " 

"  At  the  opportunity,"  she  answered  with  an  ex- 
pressive glance,  as  she  moved  away  towards  a 
group  of  ladies. 

Shortly  before  the  Ave  Maria — when  the  wintry 
yellow  of  the  western  sky  had  turned  to  rose  that 
deepened  to  gray  on  the  Alban  hills — a  banquet 
was  served  at  which  several  hundred  guests  as- 
sembled, Cesare  Borgia  presiding  in  his  father's 
place.  Later  in  the  evening  the  musicians  of  the 
palace  filled  the  air — now  with  martial  strains  that 
stirred  the  blood  to  fire,  now  with  the  light  refrains 
of  the  dance. 

The  revelling  was  at  its  merriest  and  the  bells 
of  a  dozen  churchss  had  sounded  midnight,  when 
Cesare  passed  unobserved  to  a  terrace  and  gained 
a  path  that  led  through  an  orange  grove  at  the  side 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  19 

of  the  Vatican  gardens.  A  few  steps  brought  him 
to  a  gate  which  opened  on  a  narrow  vicolo.  Here 
he  paused  and  clapped  his  hands  softly  together. 
The  signal  was  repeated  from  the  other  side,  and 
the  duke  thereupon  lifted  the  heavy  iron  latch 
which  fastened  the  gate  on  the  inner  side,  and 
passing  out  closed  it  behind  him.  A  tall  sinewy 
man  with  a  rough  cloak  about  his  shoulders,  and  a 
felt  hat  slouched  upon  his  brow,  stood  in  the  path, 
and  raising  his  hand  in  salutation,  led  the  way 
through  a  succession  of  dark  and  narrow  alleys, 
till  a  man  shrouded  like  himself  stepped  from  a 
doorway  and  said  "  Capitano." 

The  individual  thus  addressed  whispered  to 
Cesare,  "  Go  with  him  ;  up  stairs  are  your  weapons 
and  equipment,  and  I  shall  await  you  at  the  bot- 
tom of  this  lane  where  the  horses  are  ready." 

Cesare  did  as  he  was  desired,  and  presently 
emerged  by  a  ladder  into  a  room  of  such  consider- 
able size  that  the  wick  which  flickered  in  its  midst 
only  partially  revealed  the  furniture  and  objects 
ranged  along  the  walls. 

"Ah,  Canzio,"  he  exclaimed  to  his  guide  who 
bowed  obsequiously,  "  at  last  I  see  who  it  is ;  and 
art  thou  to  go  with  us  to-night?  " 

"  No,  maestro  mio,  to-night  I  keep  house." 

"  Keep  house  do  you  ?  "  echoed  Valentino,  as  he 
drew  on  a  pair  of  riding  boots  and  replaced  his 
velvet  coat  with  a  leather  doublet.  And  glancing 


20  VALENTINO. 

round,  he  observed  indistinctly  the  close-barred 
windows,  the  rude  table  and  half  dozen  chairs,  the 
sombre  presses  against  the  walls,  the  racks  of 
weapons  in  the  corner.  "  So  this  is  your  house,  is 
it?  You  see  I  have  come  to  pay  you  a  visit." 
"  It  is  an  honor  to  make  us  immortal." 
Cesare  buckled  on  a  rapier,  and  feeling  his  way 
down  the  ladder,  presently  reached  the  end  of  a 
lane,  where  through  the  darkness  could  be  dis- 
tinguished the  forms  of  men  and  horses.  The 
Capitano  del  Nero  ordered  one  of  his  men  to  ride 
ahead,  directed  two  others  to  follow,  and  took  his 
place  beside  Valentino.  "  Half-way  to  Kocca  Sa- 
vello,"  he  said,  "is  a  stone  house  where  are  more 
of  my  fellows,  and  there  we  can  find  shelter  or 
reinforcement  if  required.  In  a  glade  not  far  from 
Boscobel  will  be  two  men  with  provisions  ;  a  caval- 
cade like  this  should  not  be  large — it  is  best  to 
avoid  too  many  clattering  hoofs." 

The  observant  Giulia  Farnese  did  not  notice 
Cesare's  absence  for  half  an  hour,  and  the  thought 
of  him  was  recalled  to  her  by  seeing  Elvira  d'Este 
listening  to  the  small  talk  of  a  young  officer  and  of 
an  old  dignitary  of  the  palace.  She  had  supposed 
them  together  all  this  while,  and  her  suspicions 
again  took  fire.  It  was  the  father,  not  the  son,  that 
this  designing  girl  was  setting  her  cap  at.  At  this 
moment  passed  Don  Michele  di  Careglia,  Borgia's 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  21 

trusted  counsellor,  and  often  his  right  hand  in 
action. 

"  Where  is  Cesare  ?  "  she  asked  abruptly. 

He  could  not  repress  a  smile,  whether  at  her 
eagerness,  or  that  the  substance  of  his  answer 
seemed  droll  to  him,  as  he  said,  "A  sudden  call 
upon  urgent  affairs ;  he  had  to  be  gone  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice." 

The  alertness  of  anger  and  mistrust  faded  for  an 
instant  from  the  Farnese's  sparkling  eyes,  and  she 
seemed  not  insensible  to  some  veiled  humor  in  this 
simple  reply. 

She  crossed  the  room  presently  to  where  one  of 
Lucretia's  court  ladies  was  standing  an  apparently 
indifferent  spectator. 

"  Donna  Catalina,"  she  began,  "  have  you  the 
mind  to  do  me  a  service  ?  " 

"At  your  command,  my  lady,"  assented  the  other, 
the  shadow  of  mature  years  vanishing  at  the  words 
which  followed. 

"  You  shall  have  this  ring  when  it  is  completed. 
Yonder  girl  of  Este  needs  an  eye  upon  her ;  who 
knows  but  she  might  do  something  indiscreet  that 
we  should  guard  her  from  ?  It  would  be  well  to  see 
that  - 

"Enough,"  interrupted  the  other,  with  a  ma- 
levolent look  towards  the  unsuspecting  subject  of 
their  words — "  her  chamber  door  shall  not  open 
or  shut  without  my  knowledge." 


22  VALENTINO. 

Cesare  and  his  escort  passed  the  walls  of  Traste- 
vere,  trotted  in  the  starlight  by  the  road  that  at 
this  day  leads  beside  the  Tiber  to  the  Ponte  Molle, 
and  there  crossed  to  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  As 
they  passed,  the  guard  at  the  bridge  raised  his  hand 
to  del  Nero,  who  with  his  companions  drew  rein. 

"  Have  you  three  men  in  advance  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  said  the  condottiere,  "  only  one." 

"  Yes,  Filipe — he  is  just  in  front ;  but  ten  minutes 
ago  two  men  close  muffled,  on  horses  as  good  as 
yours,  galloped  over  the  bridge,  took  to  the  left 
yonder  and  disappeared." 

Borgia  and  his  condottiere  attendant  sought 
in  vain  for  an  explanation  of  this  circumstance ; 
to  men  habitually  surrounded  by  dangers,  every- 
thing unusual  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  menace ; 
and  it  was  not  till  after  a  moment's  reflection  that 
Cesare  exclaimed — "Bah,  none  but  you  and  I  and 
Filipe  know  where  we  are  going ;  what  have  we  to 
do  with  who  prowls  Campania  at  midnight  ?  " 

"  Some  belated  men  of  the  Pazzi  Castle,  doubt- 
less," chimed  in  del  Nero  ;  "  we  do  not  pass  near 
there." 

"Forward  then,"  said  Cesare,  and  they  put 
spurs  to  their  horses.  Sometimes  they  rode  over 
the  broad  spectral  plain  of  Campania,  now  in  some 
defile,  now  crossing  a  watercourse.  At  the  stone 
house  near  Torre  Tre  Teste  they  halted :  "  Maes- 
tro," said  del  Nero,  "  I  will  offer  you  here  a  cup  of 


CASTLE  AND    VATICAN.  23 

hot  wine ;  these  fields  reek  with  fever."  As  he 
spoke,  his  men  advanced  and  one  of  them  said — 

"There  are  others  abroad  to-night." 

"  How  many  ?  "  asked  the  condottiere. 

"Two." 

"  What  direction  ?  " 

"  To  the  hills  yonder ;  we  durst  neither  speak 
nor  fire,  and  they  passed  at  a  canter." 

"  The  same  that  crossed  the  bridge,"  said  Valen- 
tino ;  "let  us  hasten  on,  we  can  overtake  them — 
five  to  two ; "  and  he  drained  the  goblet  of  mulled 
wine. 

"We  will  pursue  in  force  then,"  said  del  Nero; 
"  mount  the  three  of  you,"  he  said,  "  and  follow :  how 
much  start  have  they  ?  " 

"  Less  than  fifteen  minutes,"  was  the  answer,  and 
the  cavalcade,  now  reinforced,  galloped  rapidly  in 
the  direction  taken  by  the  mysterious  horsemen. 
But  whether  their  horses  were  better,  whether 
they  turned  in  some  other  course,  no  trace  of  them 
was  discoverable. 

Two  hours  later,  at  break  of  day,  they  sighted  the 
white  houses  of  Rocca  Savello. 

"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  behold  the  daylight,"  mur- 
mured Cesare  half  to  himself. 

"Ah  yes,"  exclaimed  the  condottiere  captain 
at  his  side,  whose  quick  ear  caught  the  words. 
"  Sacred  for  me  is  the  joy  of  the  sunrise  these  last 
nine  years." 


24  VALENTINO. 

"And  why  nine  years?  "  asked  the  duke. 

"  Because,  signore,  its  rising  on  the  day  I  think 
of  dispelled  an  eternity  of  darkness  and  doubt,  and 
even  the  shadow  of  death.  I  was  with  one  Cris- 
tofero  Colombo,  a  name  famous  in  Spain.  For 
days  I  sailed  with  him  through  seas  till  then  un- 
known, amid  the  perils  of  the  deep,  with  only  the 
cheerless  horizon  by  day,  and  surrounded  at  night 
by  uncouth  monsters  that  rose  from  the  waves. 
Our  stores  failed,  no  hope  pointed  the  way,  we 
drifted  week  after  week,  severed  as  it  seemed  from 
earth — on  into  space  as  vague  as  eternity.  Despair 
fell  on  me,  a  thousand  hideous  phantoms  beset  my 
dreams  and  made  the  reality  of  waking  the  worst 
nightmare  of  them  all.  One  evening  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  something  like  a  sparkle  of  fire,  and 
with  the  dawn  was  revealed  land — the  land  that  to 
us  was  life." 

"  I  have  heard  much  of  this,"  said  Cesare,  "  it 
was  the  nearer  side  of  the  golden  Indies." 

"  Aye,  and  the  light  was  the  glitter  the  savages 
make  tossing  great  ingots  in  play." 

"But  you  did  not  get  the  ingots,"  observed 
Cesare. 

"  Maestro,"  replied  the  other,  "  it  is  a  land  of 
mystery,  and  the  people  make  their  treasures 
vanish  with  the  wish.  And  so  with  the  fountain 
of  youth  ;  we  sought  for  it,  that  returning  home  we 
might  be — if  not  rich  at  least  light  hearted ;  but 


CASTLE  AND   VATICAN.  25 

one  of  their  chiefs  drank  it  dry,  and  when  we  came 
there  was  nothing  but  rocks,  bare  rocks." 

"  He,  at  least,"  said  Cesare,  "  must  have  become 
a  child ;  but  could  you  find  no  way  to  make  the 
savages  give  up  their  treasure  ?  " 

"  Our  capitano,"  replied  del  Nero,  "  would  not  let 
us  have  our  ways ;  we  roasted  a  couple  of  them, 
but  even  this  Colombo  stopped.  He  is,  indeed, 
a  strange  man — great,  but  by  his  greatness  unset- 
tled in  his  mind." 
2 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  MOBNING  CALL. 

CBESTING  a  spur  of  the  Alban  hills  stood,  at  the 
time  we  write  of,  the  fortified  Castle  of  Eocca  Sa- 
vello,  then  the  stronghold  of  the  Savelli  family. 
Its  picturesque  situation  in  the  midst  of  olive 
groves,  veiled  the  misproportions  of  towers  and 
outworks  which  had  been  added  piecemeal  by  suc- 
cessive occupants,  and  after  occasional  sieges  and 
dismantlings.  Its  present  owner  was  Count  Isidore 
Savelli,  recently  a  prisoner,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the 
Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  and  a  staunch  adherent  of  the 
Colonna  family,  which,  with  the  Orsini,  kept  up  an 
enduring  strife  in  the  troubled  bosom  of  the  Church. 

For  some  years  Count  Isidore  had  been  a  prom- 
inent figure  in  the  events  of  his  time ;  the  heart- 
burnings caused  him  by  the  wife  whom  he  loved — 
and  who  loved  the  world,  had  made  him  a  morose 
and  embittered  man,  and  at  a  relatively  early  age 
he  had  abandoned  all  pursuits  and  retired  with 
her  to  this  spot,  amid  the  quiet  of  the  hills  and 
the  silence  of  the  vast  Campania,  where,  with- 
drawn from  the  ways  of  life,  he  could  be  spared 


A  MORNING  CALL.  27 

the  pangs  which  the  meaning  admiration  of  others 
caused  him.  In  the  time  of  her  greatest  triumphs, 
his  bitter  cup  had  been  to  stand  afar  and  watch 
the  worship  of  her,  and  often  she  gave  him  this 
measure  to  the  full. 

To  his  wife  this  retreat  had  seemed  a  cruel  dep- 
rivation, the  more  as  her  only  offending  had  been 
in  the  gratification  of  vanity  and  the  pride  of  a 
beauty  which  had  filled  Italy  with  its  renown.  But 
her  tears  and  repinings  had  been  in  vain. 

But  though  Count  Isidore  now  held  his  treasure 
aloof,  he  did  not  delude  himself  that  the  excite- 
ment of  adulation,  of  friendship  which  trembled 
beyond  the  Platonic,  could  be  extinguished  by  se- 
clusion. The  isolation  could  not  be  made  so  com- 
plete but  that  some  echoes  floated  in  from  the 
world  of  pleasure  and  gallantry  —  some  shadow 
brooded  ominously  on  the  border-land  of  his  retire- 
ment. And  yet  they  were  but  echoes  and  shadows, 
so  watchful  was  his  vigilance,  so  faithful  his  men 
at  arms.  Six  months  had  elapsed,  during  which  it 
seemed  no  one  of  all  those  cavaliers  who  whilom 
sought  Ginevra's  hand  in  the  dance,  or  followed 
with  her  in  the  falcon  hunt,  or  sang  in  the  star- 
light beneath  her  window,  had  ventured  within  the 
glades  of  Boscobel.  But  at  length  this  calm  was 
broken.  One  morning  his  wife's  maid,  an  elderly 
woman,  with  expressionless  face  and  cold  gray 
eyes,  came  to  him  and  said : 


28  VALENTINO. 

"Master,  the  signora  has  given  me  this  letter 
and  ten  crowns." 

He  drew  a  purse  from  his  girdle ;  "  Here  are 
three  Spanish  ducats,"  he  answered  :  then  open- 
ing the  letter,  he  read  these  words  : 

I  dare  not  see  you.  You  must  not  write  again — 
/  receive  your  letters  at  too  terrible  a  risk.  How 
selfish  you  must  think  me,  and  yet  you  say  you  love 
me  still.  Dear  friend,  I  am  unworthy  of  so  much 
devotion — and  yet  I  have  a  heart,  I  believe,  after  aU. 
Let  me  at  least  have  respect  from  you  if  love  be  sin. 
Seek  to  forget  me— farewell. 

Savelli  read  this  feminine  epistle  without 
change  of  feature  till  the  last  line  ;  then  he  broke 
into  a  chuckling  laugh.  "  She  has  a  heart  after 
all,"  he  repeated.  Turning  to  the  woman,  he  asked 
abruptly,  "  For  whom  was  this  ?  " 

"Duke  Cesare  Borgia — il  Valentino  some  call 
him,"  she  answered. 

"  And  what,"  pursued  the  count,  "  of  these  let- 
ters that  she  had  from  him  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  them,"  replied  the  other. 

"  How  could  they  have  reached  her  ?  " 

"  The  mistress  is  shrewd  ;  she  does  not  always 
travel  the  same  road,  nor  use  the  same  hand  for 
every  service." 

"We  must  watch,"  mused  Isidore,  "and  mean- 


A  MORNING  CALL.  29 

while  I  will  consider.  Send  this  letter  forward  as 
you  were  bidden,"  he  added,  "  and  I  shall  make 
ready  for  Valentino." 

"  The  seal  is  broken,"  objected  the  woman. 

"  True,"  he  assented,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  the 
impression  of  a  harp  surrounded  with  the  motto, 
"Je  reponds  a  qui  me  louche"  which  Ginevra  had 
affixed.  Stepping  to  a  writing-table,  he  folded  the 
sheet  as  before,  and  covering  it  with  fresh  wax, 
pressed  upon  it  a  die  which  produced  in  its  stead 
a  thistle.  Struck  with  the  aptness  of  this  trans- 
formation, he  chuckled  to  himself  as  before. 

His  preparations  for  Borgia's  irruption  were 
still  in  the  stage  of  contemplation  when,  on  the 
following  afternoon,  he  strolled  for  an  hour  through 
his  garden,  plunged  in  what  would  have  been 
an  overpowering  melancholy,  but  for  the  rage  of 
jealousy  and  hate  which  filled  him ;  besides  the 
neighboring  villagers  of  Albano,  he  had  a  com- 
pany of  forty  armed  men,  and  as  lovers  do  not  pay 
surreptitious  visits  with  an  army  jingling  in  steel 
and  brass  at  their  back,  his  force  would  more  than 
equal  Borgia's  escort.  But  would  he  come,  and  if 
so,  when  ?  His  wife's  letter  was  as  plain  a  sum- 
mons as  woman  ever  wrote.  Would  their  rendez- 
vous be  in  the  park,  or  in  the  castle  ?  Enough  to 
keep  close  watch  upon  her,  to  have  his  little  corps 
always  on  the  qui  vive.  And  Borgia,  once  in  his 
power — for  his  meditation  assumed  this  conclusion 


30  VALENTINO. 

—what  should  be  done  with  him  ?  Should  he  be 
carried  to  some  remote  Colonna  stronghold  and 
kept  there  in  a  dungeon  till  life  wasted  ?  Should 
he  give  himself  the  luxury  of  one  deep  plunge  of 
the  stiletto — how  deep  it  should  strike !  Or 
should  he  tear  out  the  eyes  that  had  gazed  with 
desire  upon  his  Ginevra? 

He  never  knew  how  it  happened — it  was  all  so 
quickly  done  ;  in  the  midst  of  his  meditations, 
strong  arms  seized  him  from  behind,  something 
was  thrown  over  his  head,  there  was  the  noise  of 
hurrying  footsteps,  he  was  down,  pinioned,  borne 
away.  His  instinctive  thought,  the  first  struggle 
over,  was  of  Ginevra  left  alone  to  Valentino — and 
at  that  the  faintness  of  despair  possessed  him, 
His  own  danger  never  suggested  itself  till  after 
del  Nero  and  his  band  had  delivered  him  within 
the  gate  of  St.  Angelo  ;  then,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
refused  to  eat  till  another  had  partaken  of  the  food. 
Whatever  Ginevra' s  weariness  of  Boscobel,  her 
husband's  peril  found  her  true.  The  announce- 
ment that  he  had  vanished  did  not  greatly  astonish 
her,  but  she  wrote  to  his  captor — "  hurt  him  in  any 
way  or  so  much  as  injure  his  health,  and  you  shall 
never  see  me  more."  It  was,  as  Cesare  commented, 
the  old  familiar  feminine  perverseness. 

The  face  and  statuesquely  graceful  figure  of 
Ginevra,  as  she  appeared  at  the  time  of  her  great- 


A  MORNING  CALL.  31 

est  fame  and  triumphs,  have  been  preserved  on  can- 
vas by  an  unknown  hand.  The  attention  of  the 
most  indifferent  visitor  to  the  Doria  Gallery  must 
be  attracted  by  the  ideal  loveliness  of  that  rare 
and  subtly  smiling  countenance.  One  may  not 
know  if  perchance  some  chemical  change  has  af- 
fected the  colors,  or  if,  in  life,  her  violet  eyes  had 
the  barely  perceptible  tinge  of  emerald  with  which 
they  look  from  the  picture.  The  effect  is  to  lend 
a  feline  cast  to  the  expression.  The  workmanship 
of  the  picture  is  carried  out  with  elaborate  minute- 
ness of  detail,  with  lingering  touch,  with  exquisite 
refinement  of  finish.  The  peach-flushed  cheeks, 
the  curved  lips,  the  soft  chestnut-brown  hair,  the 
shapely  neck  bared  at  the  throat  after  the  fashion 
of  the  day — all  are  rendered  with  such  delicate 
appreciation,  that  one  may  suspect  the  unknown 
artist  had  himself  been  fascinated  by  the  form  and 
features  he  had  been  employed  to  paint,  and  that 
in  accomplishing  his  task  he  has  left  to  us  the 
image  of  a  face  he  adored. 

The  apartments  in  which  she  had  spent  her  mo- 
notonous days  had  balconies  packed  with  growing 
flowers,  and  were  shaded  by  curtains  which  gave  a 
hue  of  crimson  to  their  interior ;  in  each  were  rich 
and  curious  ornaments.  On  the  walls  hung  tapes- 
tries and  embroideries  and  fancy  work  from  her 
own  hand,  made  by  the  blending  together  of  spec- 
imens of  rare  materials  of  sparkling  and  iridescent 


32  VALENTINO. 

and  crystalline  light  and  color,  so  that  the  effect  ri- 
valled the  brilliancy  and  the  glory  of  a  butterfly's 
wing.  A  cabinet  contained  porcelains  from  France, 
glass  goblets  from  Bohemia  and  Germany,  and 
ivory  carvings ;  on  a  small  bracket  stood  a  diminu- 
tive Cupid,  in  one  corner  leaned  a  lute — and  on 
the  ceiling  were  frescoed  figures — girls  and  youths 
dancing  amid  clouds  that  betokened  no  coming  of 
shadow  or  storm. 

The  sun  was  well  above  the  horizon  when  Cesare 
rose  from  a  light  repast  served  him  in  the  glen  of 
which  del  Nero  had  spoken,  and  where,  as  he  had 
assured,  men  were  in  waiting  with  provisions.  He 
called  the  condottiere  to  him  and  said, 

"  Capitano,  you  tell  me  you  have  stationed  six  of 
your  men  in  sight  of  the  postern ;  that  makes  us 
then  sixteen  here  in  all." 

"  Yourself,  and  fifteen  of  us." 

"  And  the  guard  at  the  gate  ?  " 

"  Has  been  withdrawn  at  sight  of  the  signal." 

Still  Valentino  hesitated.  "  This  may  prove  a 
venturesome  errand,"  he  said ;  "  three  remain  here 
with  the  horses,  three  on  watch  in  the  wood ;  you 
and  the  eight  others  will  follow  me  at  a  distance 
and  wait  in  hiding  near  the  little  gate  by  which  I 
enter,  and  of  which  you  must  keep  possession.  If 
you  hear  the  note  of  this  whistle,  make  your  way 
to  me  with  your  fellows." 


A  MORNING  CALL.  33 

Half  an  hour's  walk  through  the  grounds  called 
Boscobel,  brought  Cesare  to  the  castle,  at  the  side 
entrance  of  which  the  old  servant  Marietta  was 
waiting. 

"  Heaven  prosper  your  grace,"  she  said,  with  a 
curtsey ;  "  may  your  way  be  always  as  open  and 
joyous  as  this  path  to  the  rooms  where  my  lady 
awaits  you ;  "  and  she  fixed  her  stony  eyes  on  his 
face  with  a  furtive  expression  of  nervous  excite- 
ment. 

"  Thou  hast  performed  thy  part  well,"  said  the 
duke,  as  he  dropped  some  gold  pieces  in  her  hand. 

The  woman  watched  his  figure  while  it  remained 
in  view ;  then  softly  she  closed  the  door  and  locked 
it  on  the  outer  side,  muttering  as  she  did  so,  "  Mer- 
ciful Madonna,  what  a  rapier  he  carries  !  but  he  will 
find  it  a  heavy  morning's  work.  And  Ginevra !  the 
saints  have  mercy  on  her,  for  Savelli  will  take  her 
life  this  day — the  madman  he  is !  He  must  have 
gotten  safely  up  the  private  stairs ;  should  I  have 
warned  her?  no,  my  duty  was  with  him,  alone,  just 
escaped  from  the  clutch  of  his  enemies — their  blood 
be  upon  them.  An  old  woman  like  me  trembles  at 
the  thought  of  the  coming  hour — I  will  go  as  far 
as  the  church  and  light  a  double  taper  ; "  and  so 
saying,  she  dropped  the  key  in  her  pocket  and 
walked  away.  She  had  proceeded  but  a  few  paces 
when  a  quick  step  was  heard,  and  glancing  back, 
she  saw  the  condottiere  captain  at  her  heels. 
2* 


34  VALENTINO. 

"  A  pleasant  stroll  to  you,"  he  said,  in  a  jeering 
tone ;  "  but  that  key  in  your  pocket  is  unnecessary 
weight." 

"  Who  are  you?"  ejaculated  the  frightened  woman, 
"  and  what  key  do  you  talk  about  ?  " 

"Enough  spoken,"  said  the  condottiere,  as  his 
hand  dropped  carelessly  on  the  hilt  of  his  stiletto. 
"  You  have  locked  the  gate  by  which  one  who  has 
entered  will  presently  need  to  come  out.  You  will 
wait  with  us  now,  and  if  anything  befalls — I  bury 
this  blade  in  your  body." 

A  grave  and  stolid  maestro  di  casa  awaited  Cesare 
in  the  court,  and  led  the  way  up  the  stairs.  His 
heart  beat  quicker  as  he  passed  the  portal  of  Gine- 
vra's  apartment,  and  hers  may  have  fluttered  at  the 
sound  of  his  approaching  step.  She  rose  as  he  en- 
tered, advanced  to  meet  him  with  a  quick  half- 
frightened  smile  of  pleasure,  gazed  fixedly  in  his 
face  for  one  instant,  then  gave  him  her  hand,  which 
he  raised  to  his  lips.  He  was  the  first  to  speak 
as  she  seated  herself,  at  the  same  time  motioning 
him  to  a  chair. 

"It  is  a  year  since  we  parted,"  he  said  ;  "  a  year 
of  silence  and  of  waiting  since  that  one  delicious 
evening — do  you  remember,  Ginevra? — when  we 
walked  along  the  terrace  in  the  moonlight.  Every 
instant  of  it  comes  back — how  the  touch  of  your 
hand  thrilled  me,  my  passionate  words,  even  the 


A  MORNING  CALL.  35 

air  that  the  mandolins  were  sobbing  far  off  in  the 
distance,  and  the  tear  that  moistened  your  eyes  as 
I  spoke " 

"  Cesare,"  interrupted  the  lady  gravely,  "  you  re- 
member all  that  I  bade  you  forget,  or,  if  you  could 
not  dismiss  these  phantoms,  at  least  not  to  distress 
me  with  them  ever  again." 

"  Does  it  distress  you  to  have  the  love  of  a  heart 
and  the  devotion  of  a  life  that  for  your  sake  would 
dare  and  suffer  all?  " 

"  Hush  !  "  exclaimed  Ginevra,  "  something  tells 
me  there  is  danger  in  this  day  for  both  of  us." 

"  I  am  here,"  urged  Valentino,  "  to  face  danger 
for  you — death  for  myself  if  need  be.  But  the 
man  who  would  part  us  is  far  ;  what  danger  then 
threatens  ?  Let  us  be  serious  and  brave — you  know 
what  I  mean  " — and  he  caught  the  lady's  hand  in 
both  his  own. 

"  Oh,  Cesare !  "  she  cried,  disengaging  herself, 
"  if  you  loved  me  you  would  not  tempt  me  thus." 

"  I  would  persuade  you  only  to  relief,  to  happi- 
ness, to  the  joy  of  our  lives  united.  Is  that  so 
horrible  a  fate  ?  What  is  there  that  you  cling  to 
here?" 

"  I  am  a  pure  woman,  and  here  is  honor — can 
you  understand  ?  "  she  replied. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  other,  not  regarding  the 
sarcasm.  "  You  women  make  your  lives  miserable 
from  what  you  call  duty." 


36  VALENTINO. 

"  Is  not  that  the  noblest  spring  in  our  nature  ?  " 
broke  in  Ginevra;  "are  you  without  it?  are  you 
insensible  to  the  hopes  which  are  centred  upon 
you,  of  the  splendid  destiny  that  is  yours  if  you 
will?" 

"  Say,  rather,  if  we  share  it  together." 

"  Nay,"  answered  Ginevra,  with  a  displeased 
look,  "  it  seems  vain  to  talk  to  you  of  what  I  think ; 
to  be  one  of  those  who  shall  drive  the  stranger 
from  our  soil,  who  shall  help  to  make  our  cities 
once  more  free,  and  our  country  Italian — all  Italian 
—that,  were  I  a  man,  would  be  my  aim,  and  now 
it  is  what  I  wish  for  the  man  I  admire." 

She  sank  back  upon  the  canopy,  and  Cesare,  em- 
boldened, seated  himself  at  her  side. 

"  The  night  that  we  parted,"  said  he,  "  you  gave 
me  a  flower ;  it  is  here  in  this  charm.  Every  day 
have  I  looked  at  it,  every  day  has  the  sight  of  it 
seemed  to  me  an  augury." 

"  Would  the  remembrance  of  that  fateful  even- 
ing had  faded  with  it ! "  exclaimed  his  companion. 
"  Throw  it  away,  and  in  its  place  I  will  give  you 
another  as  a  token  that  henceforth  I  follow  you 
from  afar,  that  the  fame  of  every  gallant  deed  will 
bring  a  pulse  of  joy  to  me."  And  rising  to  place 
a  rose  in  his  doublet,  she  bent  her  graceful  head 
down  upon  him  as  he  sat,  till  her  hair  brushed 
against  his  brow — and  then,  in  that  instant  his 
heart  kindled  to  a  blaze. 


A  MORNING  CALL.  37 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  caught  her  unresisting  in 
his  arms — and  their  lips  were  together  in  a  long 
embrace. 

There  was  a  tremulous  movement  of  the  curtain 
which  draped  a  doorway,  a  sound  like  a  sigh  or  a 
sob,  but  the  lovers  were  conscious  only  of  their 
own  emotions. 

Then  she  broke  from  him. 

"Begone!"  she  passionately  exclaimed, ."it  has 
been  the  misfortune  of  my  life  that  I  ever  met 
you — never  let  me  see  your  face  again." 

"That  means  you  love  me  as  I  do  you,"  ex- 
claimed Cesare. 

"  Love  you  !  no,  I  cannot.  I  have  not  the  heart 
to  love.  You  have  a  sort  of  fascination  for  me — 
what  more  can  I  say  in  my  weakness.  I  should 
not  be  a  woman  and  deny  the  sweetness  of  being 
loved.  Cesare,  nay  heart  is  very  full— I  dare  not 
tell  you  all — but  you  must  leave  me — all  is  over 
between  us — we  must  meet  no  more  forever."  And 
with  a  sob  she  raised  his  hand  to  her  lips,  then 
struggling  back  and  away  from  his  arms,  which 
sought  to  enclasp  her,  she  overthrew  the  little 
Cupid  from  its  resting-place  on  the  bracket,  and 
which,  in  falling,  was  shattered. 

"  Behold  the  omen,"  she  exclaimed — "  there  can 
be  no  love  between  us." 

"  Say,  rather,  that,  Cupid's  service  being  done, 
there  is  no  further  need  of  him." 


38  VALENTINO. 

"  Enough,"  answered  Ginevra  abruptly — "  go, 
never  come  back,  and  forget  me." 

"Forget  you,"  repeated  Cesare ;  "how  shallow 
must  be  your  nature  if  you  can  so  easily  forget — 
how  poorly  must  you  think  of  mine.  You  repel 
me  after  having  gone  hand  in  hand  with  me  to  what 
moralists  call  a  mental  fault.  I  go — to  wait  till  you 
summon  me  again,  till  you  fill  my  life  with  yours." 
And  he  -bent  his  lips  upon  the  white  hand  she  ex- 
tended to  him,  then  hastily  turning,  he  left  the 
room. 

Down  the  steps  and  out  into  the  sunlight  went 
Valentino,  vaguely  conscious  that  Ginevra  was 
further  removed  from  him  than  ever,  that  by  the 
fortitude  of  her  own  principle  she  was  lost  to  him. 
For  once,  in  this  nature  so  corrupted  with  moral 
perverseness,  the  voice  of  a  great  passion  had 
spoken.  The  obliquity  of  his  conscience,  added  to 
the  license  of  his  time,  hid  from  him  all  that  was 
shameful  in  his  attempt,  and  he  experienced  only 
the  chagrin  of  failure,  the  disappointment  of  an 
ardent  purpose  frustrated. 

His  face  was  still  flushed  with  excitement — his 
lips  yet  felt  the  electric  thrill  of  the  kisses  he  had 
snatched  from  Ginevra' s — when,  issuing  from  the 
cortile,  he  came  in  view  of  a  figure,  the  sight  of 
which  instantly  effaced  every  thought  that  was 
throbbing  through  his  brain,  and  thrust  upon  him 
one  of  the  critical  moments  of  life.  Before  him, 


A  MORNING  CALL.  39 

with  his  back  to  the  postern  gate,  stood  Savelli,  a 
drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  his  face  in  a  flame  of  fury, 
his  eyes  bloodshot,  a  tumult  of  rage  choking  his 
utterance,  so  that  he  stood  there  silent,  desperate, 
terrible.  The  amazement  which  flashed  upon  Ce- 
sare  at  sight  of  his  prisoner  passed  with  the 
thought ;  he  was  accustomed  to  deal  with  facts, 
and  there  was  no  leisure  for  surprise.  Quickly  as 
he  halted,  he  raised  his  silver  whistle  and  blew  a 
shrill  note  that  reached  far  over  the  grounds  of 
Boscobel. 

Savelli  was  upon  him  before  the  sound  ceased, 
but  Cesare  was  ready  with  his  rapier,  and  parried 
with  a  turn  of  the  wrist  the  other's  first  desperate 
lunge  ;  both  were  accomplished  swordsmen,  Cesare 
more  in  practice  than  his  opponent,  who,  besides, 
was  so  blinded  by  rage  that  in  nearly  all  his  passes 
he  exposed  himself  to  a  quick  return,  had  not  the 
other  maintained  a  strict  defensive.  And  now  were 
heard  the  beat  of  hurrying  footsteps  and  the  clink 
of  weapons.  Savelli's  men  had  stealthily  resumed 
their  stations  at  the  gate  from  which  the  command 
of  Ginevra  had  withdrawn  them,  while  others  came 
pouring  into  the  cortile.  At  the  same  instant,  del 
Nero's  condottieri  dashed  through  the  postern  be- 
hind which  they  had  lurked  unnoticed.  At  sight 
of  the  odds  gathering  about  him,  Valentino  caught 
his  opponent's  blade  with  a  deft  froissement,  and 
thrust  him  through  the  shoulder.  The  wounded 


40  VALENTINO. 

man's  arm  failed,  Valentino  dashed  by  him,  and 
springing  through  the  melee,  stood  in  the  midst  of 
his  men.  Two  of  the  garrison  had  been  disabled 
by  the  superior  swordsmanship  of  the  condottieri, 
their  chief  was  hors  de  combat,  they  saw  before  them 
the  dreaded  Duke  of  Eomagna,  and  they  paused. 

"  Spare  yourself  a  useless  loss,"  called  this  latter 
to  a  lieutenant  of  Count  Isidore  ;  "  molest  us  no 
further,  and  I  and  my  men  will  withdraw." 

The  appearance  of  four  more  of  del  Nero's  bra- 
vos,  who  had  been  left  in  reserve,  and  who  had 
heard  the  shouts  of  the  combatants,  decided  the 
wavering  garrison ;  Cesare  and  his  men  passed  out 
at  the  gate,  which  they  heard  barred  behind  them. 
As  they  walked,  del  Nero  said,  "The  woman  you 
spoke  with  locked  the  postern  behind  you — here  she 
is,  she  would  not  speak,  though  I  tried  persuasion." 

Marietta  lay  on  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  some 
trees,  and  the  process  of  persuasion  had  evidently 
been  painful.  Borgia  bent  over  her,  and  at  sight 
of  him  she  raised  her  head. 

"  You  locked  the  gate  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  nodded  in  silence,  and  a  gleam  of  triumphant 
malice  came  in  her  face. 

Cesare  turned  to  the  condottieri  who  stood  near, 
and  curtly  bade  them  move  on. 

"  You  knew  the  count  had  escaped  ?  " 

"  He  appeared  this  morning — more  like  a  ghost 
than  a  man." 


A  MORNING  CALL.  41 

"  And  you  betrayed  me  ?  " 

"  His  wife  betrayed  you." 

"  What !  "  cried  Cesare,  for  an  instant  deceived. 
"  Ginevra  knew " 

"She  whispered  to  me  you  should  be  none 
other's,"  answered  Marietta,  with  a  groan  ;  "  it  was 
she  planned  the  attack  in  the  court ;  it  was  she 
ordered  me  to  fasten  the  gate  that  none  should  help 
you." 

"  False  hag !  "  cried  Borgia  furiously — then  his 
voice  softened  almost  to  compassion,  "  is  it  with 
such  ingratitude  thou  wouldst  repay  me  and  serve 
thy  mistress  ?  " 

But  the  old  woman  closed  her  eyes,  and  answered 
no  more.  She  had  sped  her  Parthian  shaft  in  re- 
turn for  the  torments  of  del  Nero,  and  she  lapsed 
suddenly  to  indifference  or  unconsciousness — one 
could  not  well  have  determined  which. 

The  condottiere  chief  grew  impatient  over  this 
dialogue,  and  called  to  his  patron  that  their  danger 
was  not  past,  that  they  should  hasten  to  put  dis- 
tance between  them  and  the  soldiers,  who  could  be 
seen  peering  after  them  from  the  rampart.  The 
words  recalled  Borgia,  and  presently  they  rode  to- 
gether across  the  bright  fields  of  the  Campania 
amid  silence  broken  only  by  the  cawing  of  crows, 
the  twittering  of  birds,  the  occasional  barking  of 
dogs.  Behind  lay  the  Alban  hills,  a  graceful  out- 
line of  purpling  gray  against  the  sky.  Twice  they 


42  VALENTINO. 

rode  in  sight  of  mounted  parties  like  their  own ; 
twice  they  passed  herds  of  the  impassive  Eoman 
cattle.  Above  was  the  liquid  blue  of  Italy ;  around 
them  a  desolation  haunted  with  fragmentary  traces 
of  a  vanished  world.  On  dismounting  in  the  court 
of  the  Vatican,  Borgia  asked  for  Don  Michele,  who 
presently  waited  upon  him  in  his  room. 

" How  did  it  happen?"  he  asked  simply. 

"  He  became  possessed  of  a  file  and  a  rope-lad- 
der," answered  the  Spaniard,  "  and  we  found  written 
in  charcoal  on  his  table — 

"  '  THE  SARCASTIC  WAYS  OF  FATE:  " 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  BORGIAS. 

ON  the  morning  succeeding  the  foregoing  events, 
Pope  Alexander  VI. — Kodriguez  Borgia — was  oc- 
cupied in  one  of  the  many  chambers  in  the  Vatican 
set  apart  for  the  purposes  of  affairs.  On  a  table 
lay  a  pile  of  unopened  letters  and  despatches,  while 
on  either  hand  were  arranged  those  already  con- 
sidered in  two  heaps,  the  one  reserved  for  further 
perusal,  the  other  intended  for  the  hands  of  his 
secretaries. 

He  had  been  busy  thus  since  dawn,  between 
papers  and  occasional  brief  reveries,  and  now  and 
then  a  turn  up  and  down  the  long  room.  From 
early  manhood  he  had  been  attentive  to  business, 
and  assiduous  to  its  demands  whenever  his  per- 
sonal interests  were  affected.  As  matters  of  im- 
portance increased  in  proportion  as  station  and 
power  had  been  absorbed  in  his  grasp,  his  devotion 
to  the  charms  of  beautiful  women  had  diminished. 
To  the  abstemiousness  of  his  habits  in  other  par- 
ticulars must  be  attributed  his  capacity  for  unflag- 
ging application.  When  affairs  of  state  were  to  be 
treated,  envoys  received,  finances  considered,  or 


44  VALENTINO. 

some  machination  set  afoot,  lie  was  himself  wont  to 
say  that  day  and  night  were  the  same.  He  drank 
only  pure  red  wine,  and  his  midday  meal  con- 
sisted of  a  broth  followed  by  one  dish  of  meat,  a 
couple  of  vegetables,  and  cheese  and  cakes  to  end 
with.  The  ambassadors  thought  it  penance  to 
dine  with  a  sovereign  who  feasted  them  thus  spar- 
ingly. 

The  crisis  of  his  life  had  been  at  his  election  to 
the  Papacy ;  for  this  he  had  manipulated  and 
promised  beforehand,  bribed  without  stint  at  the 
decisive  moment,  and  rewarded  magnificently  after 
the  triumph.  His  greatest  chagrin  had  been  in  the 
death  of  his  eldest  son,  the  Duke  of  Gandia,  whose 
assassination  had  been  brought  about  by  his 
brother  Cesare.  The  corpse  of  this  ill-fated  youth 
was  carried  to  the  Vatican  covered  with  the  ooze 
of  the  Tiber,  and  with  half  a  dozen  sword  thrusts 
from  back  to  front. 

Summoned  to  his  father's  presence,  Cesare  as- 
sumed the  act  with  cold  assurance.  He  gave  his 
motive  without  concealment — ambition  to  be  with- 
out competitor  in  the  task  he  proposed  to  himself, 
to  carve  a  dukedom  in  the  centre  of  Italy  of  which 
he  should  be  the  head,  independently  of  the  Holy 
See.  In  the  hour  of  anguish  which  followed,  Alex- 
ander shrank  horror-struck  before  his  terrible  son, 
and  from  that  instant  Cesare's  ascendency  over  his 
father  became  established. 


THE  BORGIAS.  45 

From  this  time  he  had  completely  fallen  in  with 
Cesare's  designs,  and  the  latter  had  executed  the 
initiatory  part  of  his  project  with  vigor  and  rapid- 
ity and  with  military  skill.  From  Pesaro  was 
driven  Giovanni  Sforza,  Lucretia's  first  husband. 
The  Marches  of  Komagna,  comprising  the  towns  of 
Imola,  Faenza,  and  Forli,  had  been  occupied,  after 
more  or  less  resistance,  and  in  them  was  now 
quartered  an  army  of  condottieri  mercenaries, 
faultless  in  arms,  perfect  in  discipline  so  long  as 
danger  was  near,  valorous  so  far  as  those  can  be 
who  fight  only  for  pay  and  plunder,  of  doubtful  ad- 
hesion in  adversity,  as  had  already  often  appeared 
in  the  campaigns  of  Southern  Europe. 

The  last  success  upon  which  Alexander  had  set 
his  heart  was  some  brilliant  marriage  for  Lucretia. 
Since  the  conquest  of  Naples  by  the  French,  the 
outcast  house  of  Aragon  had  become  a  threadbare 
alliance,  and  as  the  young  Alfonzo  would  not  con- 
sent to  a  divorce,  he  was  set  upon  one  afternoon 
on  the  stairs  of  the  Vatican,  and  found  appar- 
ently moribund  an  hour  after.  Borne  to  his  wife's 
apartment,  Lucretia  swooned  at  the  sight,  and 
Alexander,  hastily  called,  blanched  in  recognizing 
again  the  handiwork  of  his  sanguinary  offspring. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Lucretia  sincerely 
loved  this  her  second  husband,  so  far  as  her  shallow 
nature  was  capable  of  affection.  She  watched  at 
the  side  of  the  wounded  youth,  tending  him  zeal- 


46  VALENTINO. 

ously,  till  slowly  his  robust  constitution  brought 
him  towards  consciousness.  On  the  second  day 
Cesare  heard  of  this,  and  in  the  night  entered  the 
sick-room,  followed  by  two  sbirri,  drove  Lucretia 
and  her  sister-in-law  Sancia  into  an  inner  chamber, 
cynically  exclaiming — "  that  which  failed  by  day 
shall  be  done  at  night,"  and  stabbed  the  helpless 
Alfonzo  to  death. 

The  way  was  now  open  for  another  transfer  of 
Lucretia,  as  an  investment  is  changed  according  as 
circumstances  render  expedient.  She  was  allowed 
to  withdraw  with  her  grief — Infelicissima,  she  signs 
her  letters  at  this  time — to  Spoleto,  where  for  a  few 
weeks  she  cherished  a  lively  aversion  for  her 
brother.  In  her  absence,  Alexander  and  Cesare 
made  tender  of  her  hand  to  the  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Ferrara.  To  their  mortification  the  proposal  was 
flatly  refused — not  only  with  emphasis,  but  with 
disgust.  The  bastard  daughter  of  a  profligate  Pope, 
with  one  husband  divorced  and  one  murdered,  with 
a  red-handed  fratricide  for  a  brother,  and  the 
reputation  of  a  virtue  not  above  suspicion,  was 
scarce  the  wife  desired  by  Ferrara  for  the  scion  of 
its  house. 

But  the  Borgias  were  not  easily  to  be  deterred : 
as  an  alliance,  this  marriage  would  be  greatly  to 
their  advantage,  and  as  placing  a  friendly  state 
between  the  new  acquisitions  of  Cesare  and  the 
rapacious  jaws  of  the  Venetian  Lion  of  St.  Mark, 


THE  BORGIAS.  47 

it  could  not  but  prove  of  pre-eminent  importance. 
Nor  did  they  desist,  father  and  son,  till  they  had 
brought  about  this  union,  although  under  the  not 
flattering  condition  that  Lucre tia  should  bring  a 
dower  of  three  hundred  thousand  ducats,  equal 
in  our  time  to  half  a  million  pounds  sterling- 
enough  silver  coating  to  make  the  nauseating  pill 
go  down. 

The  sorrowing  widow  of  Alfonzo  of  Aragon — 
the  Infelicissima  in  her  Spoleto  retreat — so  far 
plucked  up  spirit  as  to  take  an  active  and  efficient 
share  in  smoothing  aside  some  after-difficulties 
that  supervened.  The  Ferrarese  princes  (Duke 
Ercole  and  his  son  Alfonzo)  and  their  represen- 
tatives at  Rome,  until  the  consummation  of  the 
marriage,  continued  to  look  upon  their  bargain 
with  deep-rooted  mistrust.  In  this  they  were  in 
harmony  with  the  prevailing  sentiment,  that  who- 
ever dealt  with  the  Borgias  must  expect  to  be 
deceived  in  a  more  or  less  costly  or  sanguinary 
degree. 

The  character  of  Lucretia  has  until  recently 
been  so  exclusively  considered  that  of  a  frenzied 
adulteress  using  poniard  and  poison  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  consumed  by  bursts  of  tremendous 
passion,  that  we  can  only  accustom  ourselves 
gradually  to  the  portrait  of  her  as  drawn  by  her 
Roman  contemporaries,  as  indicated  in  her  letters, 
and  as  outlined  by  the  diplomatic  agents  of  Fer- 


48  VALENTINO. 

rara,  who,  in  speaking  what  they  deem  blunt  truth, 
take  evident  satisfaction  in  reciting  their  agreeable 
impressions. 

There  is  no  fragment  of  evidence  that  she  ever 
committed,  or  abetted,  or  desired  the  murder  of  a 
human  being;  her  sternest  critic,  writing  during 
her  life-time,  makes  no  such  charge ;  her  crimes 
began  to  be  committed  a  couple  of  centuries  after 
her  death,  in  the  minds  of  her  commentators.  In 
Ferrara,  where  Donizetti  and  Victor  Hugo  lay  the 
scene  of  her  supposed  atrocities,  she  lived  for 
seventeen  years — esteemed,  honored,  beloved — and 
died  regretted  by  a  community  which,  at  the  time 
of  her  arrival,  was  certainly  not  prepossessed  in 
her  favor.  She  was  blonde,  petite,  sprightly,  blue- 
eyed,  auburn-golden  haired.  Her  beauty,  her  ac- 
complishments, her  proficiency  in  the  classics,  her 
grace  in  the  dance,  her  sweet  and  courtly  manners, 
were  acknowledged  everywhere. 

Her  departure  for  Ferrara  was  an  emancipation 
from  the  tutelage  of  her  father  and  brother ;  with 
them  she  was  pliant  to  the  degree  of  nothing  more 
than  a  tearful  remonstrance  when  the  husband  she 
declares  she  loved  was  done  to  death  before  her 
eyes.  The  preparations  for  her  new  life  had  been 
conducted  by  her  with  delighted  impatience,  and 
with  almost  childish  glee,  so  that  she  must  quite 
have  laid  aside  grieving  for  her  Neapolitan  hus- 
band— murdered  six  months  and  sixteen  days  be- 


THE  BORGIAS.  49 

fore  her  marriage  (by  proxy  of  Don  Ferrante)  to 
Alfonzo  of  Ferrara. 

El  Prete  gave  a  naive  description  of  her  a  few 
days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Ferrarese.  "  The  il- 
lustrious Madonna  Lucretia  is  little  seen,  being 
absorbed  with  preparations  for  her  departure. 
On  Sunday  evening,  calling  at  the  Vatican,  I 
found  her  ladyship  seated  near  her  bed ;  in  one 
corner  of  the  room  were  a  score  of  girls  dressed 
in  peasant  costume,  and  near  them  were  the  ladies 
of  honor  to  the  number  of  ten.  The  dance  was 
commenced  by  a  gentleman  of  Valencia  and  a  lady 
of  the  court,  after  which  madonna  danced  very 
well  and  very  gracefully  with  Don  Ferrante.  She 
wore  a  black  velvet  dress  with  gold  tassels,  tight 
sleeves,  the  dress  cut  open  at  the  neck,  showing 
an  under  garment  of  linen  stitched  with  gold. 
About  her  neck  was  a  sparkling  collar;  on  her 
head  floated  an  emerald  gauze  bound  with  rubies." 

Pope  Alexander  Sixth  was,  at  this  time,  advanced 
in  years,  though  still  of  handsome  face  and  com- 
manding presence.  In  his  prime  he  was  remarka- 
ble for  the  elegance  and  suavity  of  his  address,  the 
refined  and  benignant  beauty  of  his  face,  the  pure 
and  cultivated  tenor  of  a  conversation  widely  at 
variance  with  the  habits  of  his  life.  Now  grown 
to  be  an  old  man,  even  the  shadows  of  conflicts  and 
the  remembrance  of  crimes  could  not  banish  an 
aspect  of  intellectual  repose,  of  gentle  amiability, 
3 


50  VALENTINO. 

of  power  born  to  command.  His  health  was  still 
robust,  his  physical  condition  hale  and  vigorous. 
Apparently,  no  compunction,  no  regret,  no  sting  of 
conscience,  no  thought  of  the  travesty  of  his  sen- 
suous career  upon  his  sacred  office  ever  troubled 
the  calm  of  that  placid  contentment.  He  lived 
now  in  the  midst  of  diplomatic  aspirations,  of  in- 
trigues for  the  advancement  of  his  children,  and  in 
the  amorous  companionship  of  the  beautiful  Giulia 
Farnese. 

His  consideration  of  the  letters  before  him  was 
suspended  on  the  entry  of  a  confidential  servant, 
who  wheeled  up  a  small  table  bearing  the  custom- 
ary frugal  breakfast  of  chocplate,  toast,  and  eggs. 
He  was  a  valuable  member  of  the  papal  house- 
hold— discreet,  silent,  save  when  spoken  to,  and 
mute  upon  irregular  circumstances. 

"  When  my  son  stirs,"  said  the  Pope,  "  say  that 
I  have  need  to  speak  with  him." 

"Is  haste  required?"  enquired  the  other  re- 
spectfully, but  without  form ;  "  the  duke  returned 
tired  from  the  dance  last  night,  and  said  he  would 
stay  late  abed  this  morning." 

"  It  was  but  Wednesday,"  exclaimed  his  Holi- 
ness, "  he  received  the  Ferrarese  ambassadors 
lying  on  a  couch,  with  the  excuse,  '  The  fetes,  the 
fetes;'  and  now,  with  urgent  business,  the  drone 
takes  to  his  bed.  You  must  waken  him  at  once." 

The  cameriere  presently  removed  the  breakfast 


THE  BOROIAS.  51 

things,  bowed,  and  withdrew.  Half  an  hour  after, 
the  door  opened  again,  and  Cesare  Borgia  entered 
his  father's  study  with  a  brief  salutation,  threw 
himself  into  a  chair,  and  asked  listlessly,  "What 
ill  news  now  ?  " 

"  Another  letter  from  Candale  at  Imola,"  replied 
Alexander,  "repeating  what  he  said  ten  days 
since." 

At  these  words  the  languor  vanished  from  Ce- 
sare's  bearing.  His  mien  became  instantly  alert, 
intent,  with  eye  cold  and  fixed,  and  lips  com- 
pressed, though  still  with  a  trace  of  the  cynical 
little  smile  familiar  to  them. 

"  He  says,"  pursued  the  Pontiff,  "  that  Vitellozzo 
does  nothing  but  cast  about  to  get  another  town 
for  himself ;  that  Oliverotto  is  filled  with  the  same 
ambition  and  is  at  times  absent  from  his  command 
for  weeks  together,  no  one  knows  where;  that 
Ramiro  has  driven  the  peasantry  to  despair  with 
his  cruelties  and  Pesaro  to  frenzy  with  his  exac- 
tions. There  is  the  letter,  read  for  yourself." 

The  young  man  glanced  over  the  parchment, 
then  laid  it  down,  and  after  a  moment's  reflection, 
said :  "  About  Ramiro,  the  hills  are  full  of  brigands 
who  call  themselves  peasants,  and  I  bade  him 
crucify  some  of  them  by  the  roadside ;  as  to 
Pesaro,  my  troops  must  be  paid;  and  for  Vitel- 
lozzo and  Oliverotto — that  a  condottiere  chief 
wants  a  town  to  himself  is  no  new  story.  When 


52  VALENTINO. 

this  harlequinade  is  over,  I  will  set  out  at  once, 
and  be  at  Imola  in  six  days." 

"The  urgent  necessity  is  to  have  regiments  in 
your  own  pay  instead  of  hiring  bands  that  serve 
under  uncontrollable  leaders." 

"  That  is  always  in  my  thoughts.  You  know  the 
difficulties  :  these  companies  are  hardened  men  at 
arms ;  to  replace  them  with  others  of  my  own 
training  would  take  two  years — to  make  the  change 
suddenly  is  to  bring  together  recruits  that  the 
shock  of  a  veteran  corps  like  that  of  Vitellozzo 
would  scatter.  It  is  half  a  year  since  I  com- 
menced the  formation  of  a  division  of  my  own  at 
Imola,  another  at  Faenza,  and  a  troop  of  horse  at 
Forli,  that  having  got  rid  first  of  the  Swiss  and 
next  of  the  French,  the  condottiere  bands  may  be 
replaced." 

Almost  before  he  had  finished  speaking,  the 
Pope,  whose  attention  had  passed  to  another 
theme,  unfolded  a  second  letter,  remarking,  "  Here 
is  from  Colonna.  He  vows  he  will  raise  an  evil 
storm  if  Savelli  be  not  set  free." 

"He  is  spared  the  trouble,"  answered  Cesare, 
undisturbed  ;  "  Savelli  escaped  night  before  last, 
and  is  now  somewhere  in  the  Alban  hills." 

"  So  Michelotto  told  me  ;  but  what  freak  led 
you  to  seize  him  ?  What  folly  to  edge  the  Colonna 
further." 

"  He  was   always  plotting,"    answered  Cesare — 


THE  BORGIAS.  53 

then  to  shorten  discussion  upon  this  point,  he  said, 
"  I  am  resolved  to  visit  the  French  King  at  Milan ; 
I  will  go  there  as  soon  as  these  alarms  from  Ro- 
magna  are  removed.  For  our  leave  to  march 
through  upon  Naples,  he  must  help  us  to  dispose 
of  many  troublesome  friends." 

"That  we  will  talk  of  and  ponder  long — there 
must  be  no  mistake.  Who  knows  were  it  not  best 
to  join  with  the  Spaniards  and  Venice,  give  Milan 
to  St.  Mark,  Naples  to  Ferdinand,  and  Tuscany  to 
you  ?  The  Venetian  ambassador  is  coming  to  talk 
about  it  again." 

"  Better  join  with  both  until  it  becomes  possible 
to  calculate  their  chances." 

"  It  will  be  difficult,"  objected  the  Pope,  "  to  im- 
pose long  upon  Louis,  he  is  himself  too  guileful. 
But  I  will  sound  Zorzi  further,  and  we  will  take 
counsel  together  before  you  leave.  And  now,"  he 
continued,  with  darkening  face,  "  to  the  subject  for 
which  I  called  you ;  I  was  amazed  yesterday  at 
something  the  Venetian  said.  His  remark  was  of 
no  consequence,  but — you  remember  that  private 
letter  King  Louis  wrote  me  at  the  end  of  last  Sep- 
tember ?  " 

"  It  is  in  the  secret  space  of  the  iron  chest  yon- 
der, behind  the  painting  of  Ariadne." 

"You  have  never  removed  it  thence?" 

"No." 

"Nor  spoken  of  it?" 


54  VALENTINO. 

"  Never." 

"  Neither  have  I ;  yet  Marin  Zorzi  showed  that 
he  knew  its  contents." 

Cesare  started  with  unfeigned  surprise ;  his 
father  eyed  him  curiously — narrowly  ;  his  son  was 
hardly  beyond  suspicion  of  treachery  even  in  a 
case  like  the  present,  where  a  weighty  personal  in- 
terest placed  him  above  its  reasonable  attainment. 

"  Who,"  he  asked,  "  besides  ourselves,  has 
knowledge  of  that  box  ?  " 

"  Only  Corneto,"  replied  the  Pope  ;  adding  sig- 
nificantly, "even  the  workmen  who  made  it  no 
longer  live." 

"  Had  Corneto  access  to  it  ?  " 

"  No ;  only  once  or  twice  I  took  papers  from  it 
while  he  sat  writing  at  this  table.  But  he  knows 
not  the  springs,  nor  can  he  even  have  seen  the 
key.  Besides,  it  were  idle  to  suspect  Corneto." 

"  Then  the  French  have  betrayed  themselves  in 
an  unguarded  moment." 

"  Or  else,"  said  Alexander,  starting  to  his  feet, 
"  some  one  has  discovered  the  chest,  and  learned 
to  open  the  secret  compartment." 

"  What  papers  have  you  there  now  ?  " 

"None  of  importance.  I  took  out  the  King's 
letter  and  a  few  other  things  last  night,  sealed  the 
lid  of  the  secret  locker,  far  back,  out  of  sight,  so 
that  it  cannot  now  be  opened  without  leaving  posi- 
tive trace." 


THE  BORGIAS.  55 

Cesare  shook  his  head  disparagingly.  "  That  is 
not  enough,"  he  said  ;  "  have  some  one  concealed 
in  the  room." 

"  But  whoever  opened  it,"  objected  Alexander, 
"  must  be  an  important  official  in  the  Vatican,  and 
I  might  confide  the  watching  to  some  one  in  his 
employ." 

"Leave  that  to  me,"  replied  his  son;  "del 
Nero's  men  are  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  two  of 
them  shall  watch  whenever  you  are  absent — I  will 
give  the  order,  but  beware  how  you  enter  in  the 
dark."  And  with  a  hasty  fdice  giorno,  Cesare 
Borgia  left  the  room. 

On  returning  to  his  own  apartment,  he  found 
Don  Michele  awaiting  him ;  he  was  one  of  the  two 
or  three  who  received  as  much  of  Cesare's  con- 
fidence— the  conclusions  of  his  silent  night  ses- 
sions— as  he  vouchsafed  to  any.  "Cesare,"  says 
Machiavelli,  "  never  communicates  a  thing  until  he 
orders  it  done." 

Although  the  Duke  of  Yalentino  was,  like  his 
father,  of  frugal  habits,  however  sumptuous  might 
be  his  life  before  the  world,  yet  his  private 
rooms  in  the  Vatican  gave  token  of  refined  educa- 
tion and  cultivated  tastes,  which  make  his  crimes 
seem  darker  by  very  contrast.  He  had  a  passion 
for  printed  books,  then  still  a  rarity,  was  a  col- 
lector of  fine  weapons,  particularly  arquebuses,  in 


56  VALENTINO. 

the  use  of  which  he  was  an  adept,  touched  the  lute 
and  the  Spanish  guitar  agreeably,  studied  algebra 
as  a  pastime,  and  took  delight  in  works  of  art, 
carvings  and  paintings  of  his  own  time,  gems, 
bronzes,  and  vases  from  the  antique. 

He  was  still  revolving  his  father's  startling  com- 
munication, and  it  was  with  a  distrait  air  that  he 
addressed  to  his  lieutenant  the  familiar  query — 
"Anything  new?" 

"An  indication  that  may  prove  worth  some- 
thing," answered  the  Spaniard ;  "  I  have  the  name 
of  the  fellow  who  got  Savelli  out  of  the  tower ;  he 
is  an  adventurer,  by  name  Vallon  d'Avrees." 

"  How  did  you  learn  this  ?  " 

"  He  obtained  entrance  to  the  castle  as  a  scullion, 
asked  leave  to  go  out  for  an  hour  the  day  of  the 
escape,  and  Rossi,  who  is  always  suspecting  some- 
thing, sent  a  boy  to  notice  whither  he  went;  he 
crossed  the  Ripetta  and  entered  a  house  on  the 
river.  Last  night  I  arrested  the  inmates  and 
seized  everything.  A  man  and  his  wife  in  the  mez- 
zanino  came  out  at  once  with  the  story  that 
he  had  called  for  a  letter;  that  none  had  been 
then  received,  but  that  this  came  later  in  the 
day." 

Cesare  read  the  address  aloud : 

"Le  Capitaine  Vallon  d'Avrees, 

chez  le  banquier  Schmitt" 


THE  BOROIAS.  57 

"  A  Jew  usurer — and  a  cipher,"  he  ejaculated, 
unfolding  the  paper,  which  bore  the  following  : 

Izby  ux  jvruz  tzsl  ryqpp  io  fngmblok  bj  dik  hrgrfv 
eadd  crbe  of  zjykzb. 

11  Yes,"  assented  Don  Michele,  "  I  make  nothing 
of  it.  Schmitt  holds  to  it  he  knows  not  the  man — 
that  it  is  part  of  his  trade  to  receive  private  letters 
and  to  charge  a  silver  piece  for  their  delivery. 
We  could  find  nothing  irregular  in  his  belongings." 

"  We  must  have  that  letter  read,"  mused  Valen- 
tino. 

"  Suppose  you  try  yourself,"  answered  his  com- 
panion. 

"Yes,  leave  it  with  me,"  answered  Cesare,  taking 
the  proposal  seriously. 

Don  Michele  mentally  observed  that  the  result 
of  this  study  would  be  unsubstantial ;  then  he  said 
aloud  :  "  I  have  set  some  fellows  from  the  castle 
who  saw  this  d'Avrees  to  watch  the  Eipetta  on  the 
chance  of  his  coming  back — which,  of  course,  he 
will  not  be  fool  enough  to  do." 

"  Which  he  will  do,  five  chances  to  one,"  answered 
Cesare ;  "  he  knows  not  he  was  followed,  and  will 
return  for  this  letter." 

"  I  have  been  thinking,"  said  the  Spaniard  re- 
flectively, "  whether  Pulcio  might  not  be  of  use  in 
this ;  he  knows  all  the  canaille  with  French  names 
in  the  city." 
3* 


58  VALENTINO. 

"  It  is  easy  to  say  a  word  to  him,"  mused  Cesare  ; 
and  as  a  servant  entered  at  this  moment  announcing 
breakfast,  he  called  to  him,  "Find  Master  Pulcio 
quickly,  ask  him  to  take  a  chocolada  with  me — 
say  it  waits  ready." 

Five  minutes  later,  Pulcio  the  hunchback  jester 
was  ushered  in,  where  Valentino  and  Don  Michele 
were  already  seated  at  table.  He  bowed  obse- 
quiously, and  at  the  former's  summons  hobbled  to 
a  third  chair. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Pulcio,"  asked  Cesare,  "  you 
look  solemn  as  a  funeral  ?  " 

"  If,"  answered  the  dwarf,  with  a  wry  face,  "  I 
who  am  a  jester  look  like  a  funeral,  it  is  because  I 
sometimes  joke  in  a  grave  way." 

Poor  Pulcio !  Borgia's  invitation  had  occasioned 
him  scant  pleasure.  To  be  called  to  such  a  tete- 
a-tete  was  not  in  the  course  of  ordinary  events — 
to  Pulcio  it  had  never  happened  before.  The  mes- 
senger's face  was  no  sooner  turned  than  he  thrust 
a  small  poniard  under  his  doublet,  deriving  as  he 
did  so  exquisite  satisfaction  from  the  thought  that 
a  scratch  from  that  particular  blade  was  cureless. 

In  passing  through  the  long  corridor  he  en- 
countered the  Spanish  adventurer  Brazos.  The 
dwarf  shuffled  to  him  with  his  halting  limp,  took 
him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  "  Copadre,  a  word. 
You  have  been  forbearing  with  me  when  all  others 
were  cruel,  and  my  heart,  which  is  not  so  poor  or  so 


THE  BORGIA8.  59 

deformed  a  thing  as  iny  body,  is  grateful.  I  thank 
you.  Addio — farewell." 

"  But  wherefore  addio  ?  good  friend  with  the 
small  body  and  the  great  heart,"  asked  Brazos. 

"  Bend  down  that  I  may  whisper,"  answered  the 
dwarf,  glancing  cautiously  around ;  "  Borgia  has 
called  me  to  chocolate — you  know  what  that 
means,"  he  added,  with  lips  whitening  and  with  a 
slight  moistening  of  the  eyes. 

Brazos'  face  became  overcast.  "  Bah !  "  he  ex- 
claimed, "  it  cannot  be ;  why  should  he  seek  to 
destroy  an  insignificant  little  jester  ?  " 

"  That  know  I,"  muttered  the  fool ;  "but  tush,  I 
must  begone." 

The  dwarf's  strained  nerves  relaxed  considerably 
when  he  saw  his  hosts  partaking  freely  of  what 
was  served  to  him.  Neither  Borgia  nor  Don 
Michele  noticed  the  sudden  light  that  flashed  in 
his  eyes,  or  the  faint  color  that  rose  to  his  withered 
old  cheeks  at  the  mention  of  the  name  of  Vallon 
d'Avrees.  And  so  we  leave  them  together,  Don 
Michele  talking  of  the  mysterious  stranger  with  a 
French  name,  the  hunchback  listening  intently  with 
pursed-up  mouth,  and  Cesare  dividing  his  attention 
between  what  was  said  and  the  cipher  letter  which 
he  had  drawn  from  his  pocket. 

Later  in  the  day,  the  Venetian  ambassador  was 
received  by  the  Pope  in  one  of  the  audience  cham- 


60  VALENTINO. 

bers  of  the  Vatican.  After  the  customary  saluta- 
tions, the  Venetian  said :  "  Your  Holiness,  I  ask 
leave  first  to  discharge  a  duty  just  intrusted  to  me, 
and  which  is  the  more  welcome  since  it  gives  this 
grateful  opportunity  to  withdraw  all  that  may  have 
been  said  amiss  by  me  on  the  subject  of  your  new 
alliance  with  our  neighbor  of  Ferrara,  and  to  put 
myself  in  perfect  accord  with  the  joy  of  these  pres- 
ent festivals.  The  Venetian  Senate  has  till  now 
opposed  the  marriage  of  Donna  Lucretia  with  the 
young  Alfonzo  ;  that  marriage  is  about  to  be  con- 
summated; our  opposition  has  been  unavailing, 
and  so  it  ceases — ceases  in  good  faith — and  we 
offer  to  you  and  to  the  Duke  Valentino,  as  to  Fer- 
rara, our  loyal  amity." 

"I  am  indeed  content  to  hear  this,"  said  the 
Pope.  "  One  cannot  have  too  many  friends  ;  and 
with  Orsini  and  Colonna  feuds  in  Rome,  the  Span- 
iards at  Naples,  the  French  at  Milan,  you  on  the 
sea,  and  the  Turks  in  the  distance,  the  patrimony 
of  St.  Peter  seems  cursed  with  unrest." 

"The  contests  of  the  church  are  sanctified  and 
prospered,"  answered  Zorzi,  "and  through  them 
she  will  attain  universal  spiritual  dominion — as 
ancient  Rome  by  frequent  collision  hardened  her 
arm  and  her  heart  till  both  became  iron,  and  then 
she  conquered  the  world." 

"  And  you,"  pursued  the  Pontiff  with  sarcastic 
inflection,  his  eyes  resting  upon  the  fox-expres- 


THE  BORQIAS.  61 

sioned  face  of  the  Venetian — "you  of  San  Marco 
conquer  by  commerce  even  to  the  remote  realms 
of  the  known — verily  a  much-conquered  universe." 

"  That  is  the  mission  of  Venice,"  answered  the_ 
envoy  with  satisfaction ;  "  our  flags  float  in  every 
port,  our  merchants  bring  the  learning  of  the 
Arabs  from  the  Levant,  and  over  the  trackless  seas 
of  the  north  our  argosies  pursue  the  stars — but  it 
is  peace  and  prosperity,  not  arms,  that  we  bear." 

"  The  Lion  of  St.  Mark  grows  fat  upon  it  too," 
observed  the  Pontiff.  "  You  have  somewhere  in 
Venice  an  emblem  of  a  lion  very  robust  and  strong, 
which  typifies  the  power  of  your  republic  on  the 
sea  —  and  the  same  lion  grown  thin  and  weak, 
denoting  what  would  be  the  fate  of  Venice  should 
maritime  ascendency  be  exchanged  for  acquisitions 
on  land.  But  I  think  of  you  as  two  lions — a  stout 
one  on  the  waves,  a  puny  one  on  shore." 

"  That  puny  lion  on  the  shore  has  been  thought 
no  mean  antagonist  by  some  who  tried  his  mettle," 
answered  Zorzi. 

"  Which  brings  us  to  where  we  stood  yesterday," 
resumed  the  Pope.  "  You  will  no  doubt  continue 
to  maintain  that  you  can  meet  the  forces  of  Louis 
single-handed — always  supposing  you  were  relieved 
from  your  war  with  the  Turks." 

"  That  we  could  encounter  the  army  of  the 
French  King  with  even  chances  is  certain;  that 
we  are  likely  to  risk  it,  is  improbable  in  the  ex- 


62  VALENTINO. 

treme.  I  say  certain,  because  by  drafting  from  our 
ships  we  can  put  in  line  a  veteran  force  superior  in 
number  to  his,  and  equal  in  discipline  if  not  quite 
in  arms.  Improbable  I  deem  it,  because  our  in- 
terest and  our  position,  as  well  as  this  never-ending 
conflict  with  the  Turk,  incline  us  to  delay — if  others 
join  with  us  we  wait  their  coming;  if  we  must 
stand  alone,  it  shall  be  for  our  own  sake,  in  the 
midst  of  our  strongholds  behind  the  Adige." 

Alexander  listened  attentively,  nodded  as  if  ap- 
proving the  justice  of  this  argument,  but  remarked 
abruptly,  and  with  some  acrimony,  "Yet  you  will 
not  deny  that  your  thin  lion  has  designs  on  Milan  ; 
Sforza — with  what  admiration  do  I  recall  him — 
is  an  outcast,  and  friendless — as  are  always  the 
unfortunate;  and  were  Lombardy  torn  from  the 
clutch  of  the  French,  you  would  deem  it  a  glorious 
addition  to  your  lands — nay  more,  you  well  know 
you  would  unsheathe  the  sword  of  your  patron,  St. 
Theodore,  against  whoever  but  yourselves  took  a 
stride  towards  it." 

"All  that  may  be,"  answered  the  ambassador 
with  a  candor  equal  to  the  impending  crisis  in 
Italian  politics,  and  therefore  superior  to  the  petty 
deceits  of  diplomacy  ;  "  but  it  is  not  to  take  from 
Louis  that  the  republic  proposes,  but  to  prevent 
his  taking  from  us ;  and  from  which  of  us  is  it  to 
be — you,  or  we,  or  Florence,  or  Naples  ?  So  long 
as  his  army  remains  at  Milan,  it  is  a  perpetual 


THE  BORGIA8.  63 

menace ;  if  it  move  to  Naples,  trouble  will  arise 
with  Spain,  for  two  such  wolves  cannot  divide  a 
carcass  without  rending  one  another.  Then,  the 
military  position  of  Spain  would  be  the  better :  an 
army  numerically  equal,  holding  Capua,  Gaeta,  and 
the  forts  of  Naples,  enjoying  undisputed  superiority 
on  the  sea,  and  with  the  disadvantage  to  the  French 
of  a  long  line  of  communication — perchance  of 
retreat — through  a  country  which  yet  burns  with 
their  outrages,  and  which,  were  they  disabled  by 
an  unfortunate  battle,  would  encircle  them  with 
fire.  Then  would  be  our  opportunity,  and  in  the 
repartition  that  would  follow  our  success — if  Milan 
fell  to  us — Florence  would  be  defenceless  against 
you." 

So  aptly  had  the  far-seeing  Venetian  calculated 
the  chances  of  the  future,  that  whoever  reads  the 
history  of  the  French  in  Italy,  is  aware  that  his 
forecast  as  to  them  was  almost  literally  fulfilled.  The 
Pope  was  thinking  while  he  listened  that  the  plan 
looked  sound — certainly  the  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  its  fortunate  conclusion  were  brilliant 
as  his  desire  ;  but  his  secret  thought  still  pondered 
on  the  profits  to  be  derived  from  Louis,  before 
joining  with  that  monarch's  enemies — the  use  of 
his  army  against  the  malcontent  Roman  nobles,  and 
the  expediency  of  remaining  in  good  relations 
with  him  while  his  troops — the  elite  and  pride  of 
France,  and  formidable  as  five  times  their  number 


64  VALENTINO. 

to-day — made  their  way  through  the  States  of  the 
Church  to  the  Neapolitan  frontier.  And  they 
talked  on  in  the  same  strain  for  half  an  hour 
longer,  enlarging  the  detail  of  their  views,  and 
each  seeking  to  get  a  glimpse  from  the  other's  true 
stand-point,  if  perhaps  that  presented  a  wider 
survey  or  a  keener  analysis  than  his  own. 

The  Belvedere  Villa  was  a  recently  constructed 
appendage  to  the  buildings  of  the  Vatican,  on  the 
further  side  of  a  garden  of  the  same  name,  and 
upon  a  spot  now  occupied  by  a  modern  addition  to 
that  enormous  palace.  It  was  furnished  with 
balconies  and  shaded  windows,  which  indicated  its 
destination  as  a  summer  retreat.  It  was  rarely 
opened  in  winter,  and  the  supper  served  there  one 
evening  a  week  later  was  intended  partly  as  a 
refuge  from  the  bustle  and  crowd  of  the  papal 
apartments,  which  for  the  last  week  had  been  filled 
with  a  caravansary  of  Ferrarese  guests,  and  more 
especially  that  Alexander  might  have  the  society 
of  his  daughter  on  this*her  last  evening  in  Home. 
Only  seven  were  to  be  present,  and  all  were  willing 
to  escape  to  the  seclusion  of  this  adjacent  cottage 
for  an  hour  before  entering  upon  the  celebrations 
of  the  night,  which  were  intended  to  be  the  most 
magnificent  of  the  series  in  honor  of  the  auspicious 
remating  of  Lucretia. 

For  the   much-desired  marriage   had  been  ac- 


THE  BORGIA8.  65 

complished.  On  the  evening  of  the  30th  of  De- 
cember, Don  Ferrante  led  Lucretia  to  the  throne- 
room  of  the  Vatican,  where  waited  Alexander, 
surrounded  by  all  the  pageantry  of  his  brilliant 
court,  and  attended  by  his  son  and  thirteen  cardi- 
nals. She  was  dressed  in  crimson  velvet,  brocaded 
with  gold  and  trimmed  with  white  ermine;  her 
sleeves  fell  to  the  ground,  her  long  train  was  borne 
by  her  maids  of  honor ;  her  fair  hair  was  bound 
with  a  tissue  of  gold  and  silk  ;  about  her  neck  was 
a  collar  of  pearls,  to  which  were  attached  an  eme- 
rald and  a  ruby.  On  the  stair  was  gathered  an 
orchestra  and  chorus,  which  filled  the  air  with  song 
as  they  passed.  The  nuptial  discourse  of  the 
Bishop  of  Adria  was  so  long  that  the  Pope  inter- 
rupted it.  Seated  at  a  table  before  him  were  Don 
Ferrante  and  Lucretia.  The  exhortations  having 
been  thus  cut  short,  Ferrante,  as  proxy  for  his 
brother,  addressed  her  the  necessary  question,  and 
upon  her  affirmative  answer,  he  placed  upon  her 
finger  a  ring,  with  the  words — "Illustrious  lady 
Lucretia,  the  illustrious  Don  Alfonzo  sends  you 
this  wedding  ring,  and  in  his  name  I  present  it  to 
you."  To  which  she  answered,  "I  accept  it  of  my 
own  free  will."  Thereupon  were  presented  the 
bridal  gift  of  jewels,  chains,  rings,  precious  stones 
magnificently  mounted,  and  strings  of  pearls,  which 
ware  Lucretia's  favorite  gem. 

The  Pope  was  the  last  to  enter  the  room,  wherein  • 


66  VALENTINO. 

a  table  had  been  laid,  and  which  was  lighted  by 
oil  lamps  and  warmed  by  two  braziers  of  glowing 
coals.  On  this  day,  the  4th  of  January,  1502,  at 
six  in  the  evening,  it  was  already  dark,  and  the 
winter  air  without  was  damp  and  chill.  Alexander, 
Cesare,  Lucretia,  and  Giulia  Farnese  were  of  the 
family ;  Elvira  d'Este,  Don  Michele,  and  Cardinal 
Corneto,  formerly  secretary  to  the  Pope,  and  now 
one  of  his  most  trusted  advisers,  had  been  asked 
as  intimates  with  Pulcio,  ex-officio,  to  relieve  by 
their  presence  the  sadness  which  began  to  gain 
upon  Alexander  as  the  hour  for  Lucretia's  depar- 
ture from  Rome,  and  from  his  sight  forever,  drew 
near. 

"  How  tired  I  shall  be  to-morrow,"  ejaculated 
Lucretia,  "  to  dance  all  night,  and  to-morrow  after- 
noon to  begin  this  two  weeks'  journey." 

"  Leave  your  horse  for  a  litter  at  the  Ponte 
Molle, '  suggested  Giulia,  "  and  have  a  good  sleep 
on  the  way." 

"  So  Vanozza  said  just  now — poor  dear  mamma, 
how  she  cried !  She  gave  me  this  ring — see,  it  con- 
tains a  fragment  of  the  true  cross,"  and  Lucretia 
pressed  her  lips  devoutly  upon  it. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  the  true  cross,"  ob- 
served, with  a  shake  of  the  head,  Cardinal  Corneto, 
who  in  private  was  sceptical  about  such  matters. 

Elvira  d'Este  entered  at  this  moment,  and  after 
a  brief  greeting  from  Lucretia,  and  a  formal  saluta- 


THE  BORGIAS.  C7 

tion  from  the  Farnese,  the  three  lapsed  into  desul- 
tory chat  upon  the  dresses  to  be  worn,  and  the 
dances  to  be  executed  that  night.  "  I  am  to  dance 
with  Cesare,"  said  Lucretia ;  "  nothing  new,  only 
the  Espanola,  but  the  Moresca  that  follows  will  be 
beautiful,  all  the  dresses  silver  and  crystal  and 
white — and  the  enchanter  sits  on  a  lofty  pedestal 
of  lights  and  flowers,  and  throwing  silken  cords  to 
the  dancers,  guides  the  measures  with  his  wand.  I 
saw  the  rehearsal  this  afternoon,  and  my  head  is  full 
of  it  yet." 

"Is  it  a  real  Moresca,"  asked  Elvira,  "  or  some- 
thing of  our  own  composition  ?  " 

"The  maestro  claims  it  as  his  own,  an  improve- 
ment on  some  barbaric  dance  of  the  Orient ;  but  the 
Venetian  Zorzi,  who  was  looking  on  with  me,  said 
it  was  exactly  the  dance  of  the  Moorish  girls  of 
Granada  twenty  years  ago." 

"  There  will  be  nothing  to  look  at  equal  to  your 
pearls,"  said  Elvira  ;  "when  that  box  of  jewels  was 
opened,  it  was  like  sunlight  on  the  water." 

"Gems  and  the  stars,"  muttered  Pulcio,  who 
had  been  listening  silently — "  love  and  immortal- 
ity." 

"  Methinks,  Pulcio,"  said  Giulia,  "  you  grow  triste 
of  late.  Immortality  for  jesters  will  be  a  small 
place  apart  in  purgatory,  and  the  only  gems  for  you 
are  the  bells  on  your  cap." 

"  They  will  ring  the  changes  on  many  an  up  and 


68  VALENTINO. 

down  before  I  try  conclusions  with  the  next  world," 
replied  the  dwarf,  with  a  malicious  grin.  "  A  jester 
is  the  only  favorite  that  improves  with  age." 

Alexander's  mistress  turned  away  with  visible 
annoyance.  "  How  I  wish  we  were  at  table,"  she 
exclaimed ;  "  it  will  take  me  two  hours  to  dress." 

At  this  moment  Alexander  entered,  the  three 
young  women  gathered  about  him,  and  brought 
forward  a  chair,  in  which  he  seated  himself  with  a 
sigh  of  satisfaction. 

Cesare,  on  first  entering  the  room,  had  motioned 
Don  Michele  to  the  recess  of  a  window,  and  there 
producing  the  cipher  letter,  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  I 
have  read  it ;  the  translation  is  on  the  back." 

Don  Michele  took  the  paper,  and  read : 

"FERME  A  vous,  noiLE  A  NOUS.    D'AUBIGNY." 

"  Diavolo ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  how  did  you  read 
it?" 

"  Easily,"  replied  the  duke ;  "  every  alternate 
letter  is  a  blank,  that  is,  the  alphabet  backwards, 
there  remain  the  letters  of  the  message  ;  from  each 
letter  count  alternately  three  forward,  and  at  the 
next  three  back.  The  great  Julius  used  a  combi- 
nation similar  to  this.  I  was  misled  at  first  by  as- 
suming the  letter  to  be  in  Latin." 

"  This  d'Avrees  must  be  a  French  spy,"  said  Don 
Michele  ;  "  but  what  can  be  the  intention  of  that 
singular  message  ?  "  • 


THE  SORGIA8.  69 

"  That,"  replied  Cesare,  "  it  will  not  take  long  to 
ascertain,  when  this  mad  Frenchman  is  in  our 
hands." 

At  this  moment  half  a  dozen  servants  entered, 
bearing  dishes  of  roasted  pigeons,  to  which  the 
company  immediately  applied  themselves,  while 
Pulcio  withdrew  to  the  alcove  where  Cesare  and 
Don  Michele  had  been  standing.  The  Pope  was 
ending  something  he  had  been  saying  to  Lucretia, 
whom  he  loved  with  affectionate  pride.  "  My  dear 
daughter,"  he  repeated,  "  when  you  arrive  in  your 
new  home,  ask  me  for  whatever  you  desire,  and  you 
shall  have  it  from  me." 

The  fair  Giulia  placed  herself  opposite  Lucretia, 
on  the  left  hand  of  the  Pontiff,  Cesare  seated  him- 
self beside  Elvira,  and  with  the  two  others  filled 
the  remaining  half-circle  of  the  table,  which  was 
spread  with  a  pale  yellow  damask  cover  ;  before 
each  guest  was  a  porcelain  plate,  a  silver  drinking 
goblet,  a  curved  knife,  and  a  short,  thick  spoon — 
the  frivolity  of  forks  had  not  yet  been  substituted 
for  the  reality  of  fingers. 

Cardinal  Corneto  began  the  venerable  narrative 
of  his  dinner  with  the  savages  of  the  African  coast 
when  he  was  an  explorer  long  ago  in  that  region, 
and  how — horror  of  horrors — what  he  had  taken 

for  pig  had  proved  to  be But  it  was  a  story 

that  all  present  except  Elvira  had  heard  before, 
and  she  was  in  the  midst  of  a  talk  with  Cesare, 


70  VALENTINO. 

and  the  others  bade  the  cardinal  think  of  some 
more  appetizing  reminiscence. 

"Do  you  have  sports  here  on  the  Campania?" 
asked  Elvira  of  Cesare. 

"  One  can  only  venture  on  it  armed  and  in  good 
numbers,"  he  answered.  "  There  are  foxes  in  plenty, 
boars  in  the  grove  by  the  sea,  and  birds  for  a  fal- 
con to  follow ;  but  the  chase  might  end  in  a  pur- 
suit of  the  hunter." 

"  Last  year,"  said  she,  "  we  hunted  the  stag  in 
the  mountains  north  of  us  ;  that  is  exciting  enough." 

"  The  finest  sport  at  Borne,"  said  Cesare,  "  is 
the  bull-fight ;  I  had  the  first  here  two  years  ago, 
with  bulls  and  men  from  Spain — I  killed  two  my- 
self." 

"  Two  bulls  or  two  men  ?  "  asked  Elvira  ;  then, 
laughing  at  her  own  question,  she  continued,  "  the 
next  time  you  ride  outside  the  walls  with  horses 
and  dogs,  I  wish  you  would  take  me  with  you ;  no 
doubt  Giulia  would  go." 

"You  would  dare  after  what  I  have  said?  "asked 
Valentino,  looking  at  her  with  surprise. 

"  With  you  I  would  venture  anywhere,"  answered 
Elvira  simply. 

The  second  course  was  now  served,  of  venison, 
accompanied  by  flasks  of  Montepulciano. 

A  few  minutes  more  passed  in  general  talk  upon 
the  fete,  for  which  all  present  were  shortly  to  pre- 
pare, when  from  the  street  came  the  sound  of 


THE  BORGIA8.  71 

music,  a  rich,  full  voice,  accompanied  by  the  guitar 
of  Castile. 

It  did  not  escape  the  watchful  Cesare  that 
Elvira  at  the  first  words  started  slightly;  had 
the  jester  been  under  the  same  observation,  it 
would  have  been  seen  that  he  too  recognized  the 
voice. 

"  A  good  baritone,"  exclaimed  Alexander ;  "  soft 
and  rich  as  that  of  your  Ferrarese  brother-in-law," 
he  added,  addressing  himself  to  his  daughter  ;  then, 
as  if  amused  at  the  thought,  he  continued,  "it 
would  be  a  romantic  conceit  now  for  your  hus- 
band's proxy  to  serenade  you." 

"Some  one  should  answer  him,"  exclaimed  Lu- 
cretia ;  "  Cesare,  will  you  sing  ?  " 

"  Not  after  supper,  for  the  rhymes  do  not  come 
when  one  has  eaten ;  besides,  we  cannot  open  a 
window  to  this  chilly  weather." 

"  Pulcio  is  the  only  one,"  said  Don  Michele  jok- 
ingly, "  who,  according  to  Valentino's  opinion,  is  at 
this  moment  fit  to  reply." 

"A  good  thought,"  said  Alexander;  "sing,  fool, 
and  speak  thy  fairest." 

"  Alas,"  replied  the  dwarf,  "  with  me  'tis  as  usual 
in  all  things  the  opposite  of  what  it  should  be ;  I 
can  find  neither  tune  nor  poesy  in  an  empty 
stomach." 

"  Drink  this  cup  then,"  said  the  Pope,  filling  his 
own  goblet  to  the  brim. 


72  VALENTINO. 

The  jester  received  it  on  bended  knee,  drained  it 
slowly  to  the  last,  while  Cesare,  turning  to  the 
servants,  said,  "  There  are  here  two  lutes;  go,  fetch 
the  smallest  of  them." 

"  May  I  sing  to  the  ladies  ?  "  asked  the  jester  with 
a  gallant  obeisance. 

"  Sing  to  whom  thou  wilt,"  assented  Alexander, 
"so  thou  be  quick." 

The  three  young  women,  Lucretia  Borgia,  Giulia 
Farnese,  and  Elvira  d'Este  placed  themselves  on  a 
canopy,  the  Pope  seated  himself  at  a  little  distance, 
and  cast  on  the  group  a  look  of  unequivocal  ad- 
miration. 

And  now  entered  the  dwarf,  and  at  sight  of  him 
arose  a  ripple  of  laughter;  the  servants,  mali- 
ciously interpreting  Cesare's  command  for  the 
smaller  lute,  had  brought  the  larger,  called  an 
archiliuta,  an  immense  instrument  over  five  feet 
in  length. 

The  jester,  too,  smiled  at  the  grotesque  dispro- 
portion as  he  adjusted  the  silken  band  of  the  un- 
wieldy instrument  across  his  narrow  body ;  his 
fingers  ran  for  a  moment  over  the  strings,  while  his 
eyes  rested  upon  the  radiant  trio  opposite,  as  if 
seeking  there  the  inspiration  of  his  theme  ;  then, 
with  a  pensive  gaze,  and  eyes  fixed  far  away  as 
though  upon  some  spiritual  prospect  invisible  to 
those  who  listened,  he  sang  of  mountain  solitudes, 
with  summits  colored  with  dahlia  tints  of  the  set- 


THE  BORGIAS.  73 

ting  sun,  where  the  mellow  voice  of  shaded  foun- 
tains charmed  the  nymphs  back  to  their  haunts  of 
the  golden  age — till  those  who  listened  forgot  the 
ill-shapen  singer  in  the  picture  of  his  song. 

"  Prettily  done,"  said  Alexander ;  "  though  a 
failure  as  to  the  task  proposed ;  however,  I  do  not 
wonder  the  foreground  put  the  gentle  minstrel 
yonder  out  of  your  head.  And  now  our  litters 
must  be  in  waiting,  you  my  three  sweet  daughters 
must  be  in  haste  to  prepare  for  the  merry-mak- 
ing— but  first  will  I  give  to  each  of  you  my  bless- 
ing." 

At  this  Cesare  laughed,  while  the  jealous  Far- 
nese's  face  darkened ;  but  his  Holiness  heeded 
nothing,  saluting  first  the  rosy  Giulia,  who  bent  to 
him  her  brow,  then  his  Lucretia  on  the  lips,  and 
lastly  the  maiden  of  Este,  while  his  mistress  looked 
on  with  manifest  displeasure. 

"  We  shall  meet  in  two  hours,"  whispered  Cesare 
to  Elvira,  "  perhaps  I  may  kiss  the  other  cheek — 
who  can  say?  By  the  way,"  he  pursued,  "you  know 
our  serenader  of  this  evening." 

Elvira  had  now  reached  the  group  of  her  atten- 
dants ;  "  I ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  how  should  I  know 
him?" 

"Because,"  answered  Cesare,  "you  started  and 
changed  color." 

"  And  you  noticed  that ;  then  I  will  confess  my- 
self in  a  word :  it  is  a  condottiere  officer  with  a 
4 


74  VALENTINO. 

French    name   who    pursued   me   at    Ferrara  —  in 
truth,  half  the   motive   of  my   coming   here   was 


"And  his  name?  "  broke  in  Borgia  impatiently. 
"  His  name  is  Vallon  d'Avrees." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW. 

AT  noon  on  the  following  day,  all  Trastevere  was 
in  the  streets  and  at  the  windows  of  those  quarters 
through  which  should  pass  the  nuptial  cortege. 
The  Pope,  after  a  last  adieu  to  his  daughter,  sta- 
tioned himself  at  a  casement  of  the  Vatican 
whence  he  could  behold  Lucretia  in  the  pomp  and 
magnificence  of  surroundings  which  recalled  the 
splendors  of  a  triumphal  procession  of  old.  The 
humble  Pulcio  observed  it  from  an  aerie  among  lofty 
roofs.  Del  Nero,  with  half  a  dozen  of  his  men, 
watched  it  from  the  crossing  of  a  lane.  Giulia 
Farnese  occupied  a  window  of  the  Vatican  with  a 
few  favorite  ladies,  from  whose  number  her  jeal- 
ousy had  excluded  Elvira  d'Este.  At  first,  Giulia 
and  Lucretia  had  been  in  uncertainty  as  to  whether 
the  Estense  were  setting  her  cap  at  the  rose- 
cheeked,  grizzly  headed  Pontiff,  or  at  his  blond, 
thoughtful  son.  That  kiss  last  evening  had  deter- 
mined their  doubts,  and  one  of  Lucretia's  words  of 
parting  had  been,  "  If  you  do  not  wish  to  be  shown 
the  door,  you  must  put  that  bold-faced  girl  out- 
side it." 


76  VALENTINO.  N 

The  Roman  rabble  waited  through  the  passing 
hours,  impatient,  yet  consciously  rewarded  at  the 
end.  The  procession  which  should  have  moved  at 
one,  started  at  three,  owing  to  the  natural  delay  in 
getting  together  so  numerous  and  varied  an  escort 
and  marshalling  them  for  a  fifteen  days'  journey. 
First  came  two  hundred  men  at  arms,  next  the 
Ferrarese  portion  of  the  convoy,  numbering  three 
hundred ;  after  them  a  so-called  escort  of  honor, 
the  gift  of  Cesare,  amounting  to  three  hundred 
more,  in  cavaliers,  musicians,  and  clowns ;  the  per- 
sonal Court  comprising  one  hundred  and  eighty 
individuals  followed,  and  after  them  were  the  car- 
dinals, the  magistrates,  the  ambassadors,  all  at- 
tended by  their  respective  suites — an  escort  to  the 
Ponte  Molle  only.  Lucretia,  habited  in  a  scarlet 
silk  dress  trimmed  with  ermine,  and  wearing  a  felt 
riding  hat  crested  with  plumes,  rode  a  snow-white 
palfrey.  At  her  right  was  the  Ferrarese  Prince, 
at  her  left  her  brother,  who  was  to  accompany  her 
beyond  the  city  wall.  The  train  from  Rome  to 
Ferrara  numbered  a  thousand  souls,  independently 
of  the  baggage  attendants,  who  had  pressed  for- 
ward at  an  early  hour,  driving  forty  heavy  wagons, 
and  leading  one  hundred  and  fifty  mules  on  which 
trousseau  and  personal  effects  were  packed. 

It  was  nearly  sunset  when  this  lengthy  train 
crossed  the  Tiber,  at  which  point  Cesare,  having 
saluted  his  sister,  turned  back  to  the  Vatican,  while 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  77 

she  and  her  followers  addressed  themselves  to  the 
serious  part  of  the  day's  duty,  the  accomplishment 
of  the  sixteen  miles  which  lay  between  them  and 
their  first  resting-place  of  Castelnovo,  no  trifling 
promenade  for  such  a  motley  assemblage,  knights, 
soldiers,  prelates,  and  ladies,  sandwiched  with 
cooks,  dancers,  musicians  and  buffoons,  especially 
in  the  dusk  of  a  winter's  evening  and  over  a  Cam- 
pania road.  Gradually  it  filed  into  the  narrow 
gorge  through  which  the  road  leads  to-day,  there 
vanishing  to  the  view  of  those  who  yet  lingered. 

At  this  twilight  hour  there  arrived,  by  one  of  the 
gates  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  city,  the  Countess 
Ginevra  Savelli.  Half  a  mile  outside  she  had  left 
her  horse  for  a  litter  which  with  bearers  and  guards 
awaited  her  coming.  When  her  *  husband  was 
brought  in  wounded  and  raving,  she  had  reflected 
that  no  act  of  hers  could  increase  or  diminish  the 
severance  between  him  and  herself.  How  strange 
a  chance  had  brought  him  to  Boscobel  at  the  hour 
of  Borgia's  visit  she  had  learned,  and  Marietta  had 
confessed  how  she  had  warned  him  of  Valentino's 
coming.  Her  danger  determined  her  removal  to 
Borne. 

She  experienced  now  a  restful,  yet  animating  con- 
tentment at  breathing  once  more  the  atmosphere 
of  a  thronging  city,  of  being  thus  again  in  contact 
with  humanity,  after  having  so  long  lived  face  to 
face  with  the  solemn  silence  of  the  Alban  hills.  At 


78  VALENTINO. 

a  familiar  corner  sat  an  old  man  with  iron  tripod  of 
roasted  chestnuts,  well  remembered,  for  often  had 
she  passed  him  by ;  beyond,  at  his  shop  door,  stood 
a  baker  deep  in  altercation  with  his  customers ; 
down  an  alley  came  the  wine  vender  with  his  heavy 
terra  cotta  jars ;  before  an  osteria  a  group  of  pfi- 
ferari  piped  their  pastoral  strains  ;  a  few  women  of 
the  sturdy,  low-browed  contadina  type  hastened 
basket  laden  homeward  ;  a  patrol  of  men  at  arms 
passed  down  the  main  thoroughfare,  while  up  a 
narrow  street  went  a  score  of  white-robed  monks 
chanting  and  bearing  to  some  death-bed  the  final 
consolations  of  the  Church.  At  the  palace  every 
familiar  object  claimed  her  notice— room  after 
room  recalled  occasions  with  which  each  was  asso- 
ciated. Nothing  seemed  changed  since  the  day  her 
husband,  in  a  fit  of  fury  at  some  unknown  sere- 
naders,  had  spirited  her  away  to  the  hiding-place 
of  Boscobel.  She  was  in  the  midst  of  this  hasty 
survey,  when  the  major-domo  approached  and  said  : 
"  Contessa,  a  stranger  asks  to  see  you  upon  an  af- 
fair of  urgency ;  he  said  at  sight  of  this  you  would 
grant  him  admittance,"  and  he  presented  a  letter 
which  on  opening  she  found  to  be  a  note  dated  that 
morning,  addressed  by  her  husband  to  Vallon 
d'Avrees.  She  knew  d'Avrees  only  by  having 
heard  Savelli  speak  of  him  as  an  officer  in  Borgia's 
service  who  had  become  infatuated  with  Elvira 
d'Este.  But  for  the  impatience  she  felt  for  infor- 


TUE  OLD  LOVE  AND   THE  NEW.  7'J 

mation  upon  the  startling  events  which  had  been 
transpiring  around  her,  and  a  caprice  to  see  the 
man  who  had  accomplished  the  feat  of  rescuing 
her  husband  from  the  inexorable  stronghold  of  the 
Church,  d'Avrees  would  have  been  denied  ;  but 
curiosity  prevailed  and  she  commanded  him  to  be 
admitted.  We  shall  meet  him  presently  under  an- 
other than  the  assumed  name  of  Vallon  d'Avrees. 
His  appearance  this  evening  was  no  longer  that  of 
his  disguise  at  St.  Angelo ;  he  was  wrapped  in  a 
stout  cloak,  wore  a  cap  with  a  single  hawk's  feather, 
and  carried  the  usual  rapier  at  his  side.  He  en- 
tered, cap  in  hand,  bowed  unceremoniously,  seated 
himself,  the  door  closed,  they  were  alone. 

She  was  the  first  to  speak.  ""What  is  the  object 
of  this  visit  from  a  stranger  ?  "  she  asked  haughtily. 
"There  stands  a  bargain  betwixt  me  and  your 
husband,"  replied  the  other.  "  If  at  the  risk  of 
my  life  I  saved  him  from  St.  Angelo,  it  was  for 
my  own  advantage  and  in  consideration  of  a  pledge 
that  he  should  persuade  or  coerce  his  cousin  El- 
vira d'Este  to  become  my  wife." 

"  She  has  refused,  then,  that  honor?" 
"  She  has  done  worse  than  refuse  it." 
"  My  husband's  aid  is  not  now  likely  to  advance 
you,"  said  Ginevra,  maliciously. 

"  No  ;  but  the  time  may  come  when  he  can  help 
me  to  revenge,  and  that  is  sweeter  than  love — than 
the  bitterness  of  love  unrequited." 


80  VALENTINO. 

"  You  are  a  spy  for  the  French ;  you  are  a  watch- 
dog in  the  employ  of  Savelli ;  you  ask  him  to  co- 
erce the  girl  who  spurns  you,  or  to  avenge  your 
wounded  feelings — for  shame." 

"  Not  that,"  answered  d'Avrees,  with  calmness  ; 
"  I  might  harm  Elvira  in  hot  blood  to  save  her 
from  dishonor,  but  to  meditate  it  beforehand,  no 
matter  to  what  abasement  she  has  humbled  me— 
never.  It  is  not  her  I  would  strike,  but " 

"  But  who  then  ? "  ejaculated  Ginevra,  as  he 
paused  with  well-feigned  emotion. 

"  Her  seducer,"  replied  d'Avrees,  in  a  stifled 
voice. 

"  And  has  it  come  to  that  ?     Great  heaven  !  " 

"  If  not  so  now,  it  will  be,"  answered  the  condot- 
tiere,  as  he  buried  his  face  in  his  hands. 

"And  who  is  the--?" 

D'Avrees  raised  his  head  and  replied :  "  The 
same  who  has  ruined  so  many — Cesare  Borgia." 

"  What!"  cried  Ginevra,  starting  to  her  feet, 
"  how  know  you  that  ?  But  it  cannot  be ;  you  de- 
fame the  name  of  a  gentle  prince — married  to  a 
sister  of  the  French  King — is  he  to  run  after  a 
jade — a  girl  with  no  other  suitor  than  an  outcast 
adventurer?"  and  the  magnificent  Ginevra's  utter- 
ance grew  thick  with  sobs. 

The  condottiere  saw  that  his  shaft  had  struck 
home ;  a  cunning  smile  flitted  across  his  face  as 
he  reflected  that  here  was  a  tool  ten  times  more 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  81 

efficient  than  Savelli.  It  had  flashed  upon  him 
like  an  inspiration  at  sight  of  the  count's  note 
that  the  jealousy  of  Ginevra  might  sever  Elvira 
from  the  contamination  and  the  arts  of  her  pres- 
ent surroundings. 

The  lady  turned  upon  him  in  a  paroxysm. 
"  Prove  it,"  she  clamored  ;  "  prove  it  if  you  can." 

"Ay,"  replied  d'Avrees,  appearing  not  to  notice 
the  sudden  violence  of  her  speech  and  manner, 
"  proofs  you  shall  have  in  plenty.  Go  to  the  Vati- 
can; she  lives  there  under  the  roof  with  him  and 
his  father — sangue  di  San  Gennaro — with  both  of 
them.  Every  woman  in  the  palace  must  know; 
you  have  but  to  ask." 

Ginevra  listened  abstractedly ;  she  had  caught 
only  half — to  the  Vatican — then  her  thought  flew 
off  to  Giulia  Farnese,  her  old-time  friend  and  com- 
panion, and  what  they  might  contrive  together. 

"  I  will  go  to  the  Vatican,"  she  said,  turning  to 
d'Avrees ;  "  you  can  follow  my  litter  to  see  me 
safe  as  far  as  the  piazza.  Or,  better  still,  come 
to-morrow  and  I  will  throw  your  slander  back  in 
your  face." 

"  How  you  love  him  !  "  murmured  d'Avrees,  as 
with  a  curt  salutation  he  withdrew. 

An  hour  later  Ginevra  was  seated  beside  the 
Farn6se  in  a  boudoir  of  surpassing  richness, 
though  Paris  in  these  present  years  might  con- 
demn a  similar  equipment  as  provincial. 


82  VALENTINO. 

After  the  compliments  which  their  friendship 
and  the  separation  of  several  months  prompted, 
Ginevra  disclosed  her  purpose.  Ignoring  her 
husband's  and  her  own  past  excitements,  she 
had  heard  with  amazement,  she  began,  that  one 
of  the  maids  of  Ferrara  was  to  remain  at  the 
Vatican.  She  had  hastened  expressly  to  caution 
Lucretia  that  a  scandal  at  this  moment,  with  the 
eyes  of  Italy  upon  them,  would  involve  both  Home 
and  Ferrara,  and  to  urge  that  she  be  invited  to  re- 
turn with  the  cortege  to  her  home.  And  finding 
herself  too  late — learning  that  Lucretia  had  gone 
and  that  the  imperilled  Estense  remained — she  had 
come  to  Giulia  with  the  same  friendly  warning. 

All  this  was  framed  and  draped  and  colored  to 
give  the  improbable  tale  a  savor  of  sincerity ;  but 
the  astute  Giulia  was  not  to  be  deceived ;  she  lis- 
tened, suspected  the  general  motive,  and  made  the 
same  reflection  as  d'Avrees,  that  here  was  a  tool 
shaped  ready  to  her  hand.  Her  reply  was  intended 
to  excite  to  the  utmost  those  sentiments  which  a 
keen  intuition  had  surmised.  Her  own  conjecture 
rested  upon  the  venerable  Pontiff,  partly  because 
she  knew  his  ways  so  well,  partly  because  of  Lu- 
cretia's  alarming  adieu,  partly  because  no  ground 
of  suspicion  could  be  discerned  against  his  son. 
She  reversed  this  in  her  answer  and  painted  El- 
vira as  hotly  assailed  by  Cesare,  and  that  no  time 
should  be  lost  in  placing  her  beyond  his  reach. 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND   THE  NEW.  83 

Ginevra,  never  doubting,  listened  with  gathering 
fury.  And  that  man,  she  thought  to  herself,  as  the 
Farnese  filled  in  the  details  of  her  picture,  would 
have  had  me  believe  myself  the  object  of  a  first  at- 
tachment— that  even  his  wife  is  nothing  to  him. 
She  restrained  any  disclosure  of  the  flame  which 
Giulia's  words  had  stimulated,  and  remarked  with 
studied  indifference,  "You,  dear  friend,  will  be  able 
to  devise  means  to  guard  against  this  shame.  Mer- 
ciful saints!  what  are  these  Borgias  that  they 
must  be  in  chase  of  half  a  dozen  women  at  a 
time?" 

"  Half  a  dozen,"  cried  the  other — "  but  stay,  of 
course  you  do  not  know,  you  have  been  living  out 
of  the  world  and  did  not  hear  that  five  months  ago, 
at  Capua,  after  the  assault,  a  couple  of  hundred 
ladies  were  taken  in  a  tower  where  they  had 
sought  refuge,  whereupon  Cesare  had  them  passed 
in  review  before  him,  and  selected  forty  whom  he 
sent  here  for  his  pastime." 

But  now  it  was  Ginevra  who  became  incredulous ; 
the  exaggeration — nay,  the  falsehood  seemed  so 
grossly  apparent  that  she  rejected  it  without  effort. 
As  well  four  hundred  as  forty.  Moreover,  she  held, 
as  we  have  seen,  a  grotesquely  erroneous  apprecia- 
tion of  the  character  of  the  man  who  had  possessed 
the  art  to  flatter  her  vanity  and  to  lead  her  by  that 
thread  alone  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice ;  her  attri- 
bution to  him  of  only  high  purposes,  pure  motives, 


84  VALENTINO. 

and  lofty  devotion — was  so  sincere ;  her  compas- 
sion for  their  mutual  frailty,  as  a  lamentable  yet 
sublime  passion,  so  self-deluding,  that  a  coarse  or 
vulgar  charge  upon  her  ideal  fell  to  the  ground  of 
its  own  weight. 

Ginevra  prepared  herself  to  leave,  and  in  so  do- 
ing repeated,  "  You,  dear  Giulia,  will  best  know 
what  measures  should  be  taken — "  hoping  as  she 
spoke  the  words  to  gain  her  companion's  counsel 
and  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  what  ingenious 
device  was  to  be  set  afoot.  Her  wish  was  not  dis- 
appointed, for  the  Farnese  intended  nothing  less 
than  a  consultation  which  should  assign  a  share  in 
the  difficulties  to  Ginevra. 

"  There  is  no  time  for  long  meditation,"  she 
replied ;  "  we  must  act  immediately — something 
must  be  decided  on  to-night." 

"  Cannot  you  write  Lucretia  to  call  Elvira  after 
her?" 

"  She  is  not  strictly  of  the  escort,"  objected  Giu- 
lia ;  "  she  came  as  a  volunteer,  and  only  her  family 
control  her  movements.  We  cannot  explain  our 
situation  to  her  brothers,"  she  added  with  a  frank 
laugh. 

"  Then,"  said  Ginevra,  whom  impatience  spurred 
to  what  her  companion  evaded — "  one  of  two  alter- 
natives, either  she  must  be  removed,  and  set  free, 
safe  and  sound,  at  a  distance  from  Home,  or  else — " 
and  she  paused  ominously. 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  85 

"  Or  else  she  might  fall  ill  ?  "  said  Giulia  softly, 
reading  the  other's  thought  in  her  eyes. 

"  What  better  can  you  suggest?  " 

"  It  is  not  enough  to  say  so  and  so  might  be  done  ; 
how  are  either  of  these  things  to  be  brought  about 
without  delay,  and  above  all  without  alarm  ?  " 

"If  you  wish  something  very  safe  and  very  easy," 
pursued  the  suggestive  Ginevra,  "  speak  to  her 
duenna ;  she  must  have  some  one  with  her." 

"  Yes,  but  ill  abed  ever  since  the  day  she  came  ; 
a  winter's  journey  through  the  Apennines  was  too 
much  for  her  years." 

"  Then  you  are  brought  back  to  my  alternative. 
I  have  the  man  of  all  others  to  carry  her  off,  with 
some  assistance  from  us — but  if  the  other  course 
be  necessary,  then  you  must  manage  for  yourself." 

Giulia  smiled  at  this  timidity,  but  did  not  lean  to 
any  plan  involving  separation  from  one  who  might 
become  an  efficient  and  determined  auxiliary.  She 
affected  to  be  struck  at  the  instant  with  an  idea 
which  in  fact  had  been  in  her  thoughts  ever  since 
Lucretia's  warning  words.  "  Ormes,"  she  exclaimed, 
as  one  who  hits  upon  some  bright  solution.  "  No 
one  consults  him  in  vain  ;  he  knows  me — not  you 
— we  will  go  together — it  may  not  be  amiss  to  be 
prepared  with  both  conclusions." 

"  Well,"  answered  Ginevra  dubiously,  "  I  am 
willing  to  go — and  listen." 

"  Who  is  this  man  you  speak  of?  " 


86  VALENTINO. 

"  A  discarded  lover  named  d'Avrees  ;  once  in  his 
hands  she  will  need  no  duenna  afterwards." 

"  I  must  see  him,"  said  Giulia,  as  her  visitor  rose 
to  go  ;  "  suppose  he  follows  as  your  escort  to-mor- 
row night ;  I  will  send  word  to  Ormes  that  I  am 
coming,  and  you  can  join  me  on  the  other  side  of 
the  bridge,  two  hours  after  dark." 

The  gardens  of  the  Vatican  palace  were  laid  out 
in  the  spaces  which  a  later  age  converted  almost 
wholly  to  courtyards.  Towards  the  close  of  the  fif- 
teenth century  additions  had  been  made  to  the 
already  vast  pile  of  buildings,  spread  gridiron-like 
beside  the  incomplete  basilica  of  St.  Peter's,  and 
the  fancy  of  designers  had  been  allowed  free  scope 
in  the  decoration  of  the  squares  and  parallelograms 
which  lay  between  successive  wings  and  their  con- 
nections. The  last  of  them,  extending  inward  from 
the  Belvedere  Villa  and  taking  thence  its  name, 
was  an  enclosure  upon  which  Alexander  had  lav- 
ished taste,  wealth  and  leisure.  A  quadrangular 
walk  occupied  the  sides ;  along  the  walls  were 
trained  rare  tropical  shrubs  and  plants;  sweet- 
smelling  box  of  great  size  had  been  transplanted 
thither ;  four  fountains  in  the  centre  filled  the  quiet 
air  with  the  soothing  and  melodious  sound  of  fall- 
ing water ;  quaint  arbors  concealed  in  miniature 
labyrinths  were  covered  by  groups  of  African 
palms  blended  with  the  foliage  of  the  oak  and 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  87 

myrtle.  Statues  there  were  here  and  there,  chosen 
from  the  hundreds  unearthed  wherever  the  digging 
of  a  builder  or  the  more  casual  excavations  induced 
by  a  reviving  taste  for  the  works  of  the  ancients, 
opened  a  trench  or  displaced  the  rubbish  of  fallen 
walls.  From  the  baths,  from  the  Appian  Way, 
from  random  burrowings  they  were  gathered,  green 
with  the  mouldy  darkness  of  their  long  night — 
imprint  yet  with  the  realism,  and  the  myths,  and 
the  habit  of  the  nude  of  their  pagan  day.  Half 
concealed  by  a  grove  of  low  spreading  cacti  was  a 
small  shelter  roofed  with  glass,  within  which  were 
stored  the  rarer  flowers  to  be  set  out  a  few  weeks 
later,  and  from  whose  open  door  exhaled  a  volume 
of  perfume — the  blended  odors  of  a  thousand  buds. 
At  the  farther  extremity  a  cascade  fell  over  rocks 
amid  ferns  and  plants  where  stood  a  water  nymph 
beckoning  in  allurement  to  a  faun  who  lingered — 
tempted,  yet  hesitant — on  the  bank. 

In  summer  it  was  a  fragrant  retreat,  bright  with 
patchwork  of  flower-beds  and  with  the  crystal 
sparkling  of  fountains  in  the  midst  of  its  shaded 
walks  and  darkened  arbors.  Even  at  this  winter 
season  the  genial  sun  of  Italy — that  mellows  the 
gray  of  the  rocks  and  softens  the  green  of  the  cy- 
press— filled  it  with  a  sense  of  pleasant  warmth  and 
brought  the  birds  singing  to  its  branches. 

Through  one  of  its  alleys  on  the  morning  follow- 
ing Ginevra's  visit  to  the  Vatican,  strolled  Cesare 


88  VALENTINO. 

Borgia — abstracted,  concentred  in  the  ambitions 
which  filled  his  heart  and  flitted  through  his  brain, 
darkened  as  they  sometimes  were  by  the  shades  of 
inexorable  memories.  The  marriage  of  Lucretia 
had  been  accomplished ;  the  barrier  of  Ferrara  was 
interposed  against  the  designs  of  Venice  ;  now  the 
unwelcome  aspirations  of  his  lieutenants,  all  reck- 
less as  himself,  however  inferior  in  ability,  de- 
manded his  first  attention ;  after  that,  a  further 
zone  of  cities  to  be  seized — Camerino,  Urbino, 
Sinigallia,  Arezzo,  Siena,  and  finally,  when  the  time 
was  ripe,  a  bold  stroke  upon  Florence — the  rich 
Medicean  centre  of  arts,  "the  Athens  of  Italy," 
as  her  citizens  delighted  to  call  her.  And  ever  and 
always  to  play  so  deft  a  game  between  King  Louis 
and  his  French  at  Milan  and  Gonsalvo  de  Cordova 
with  his  Spaniards  at  Naples,  as  to  draw  succor 
from  both,  give  nothing  but  promises  to  either,  and 
finally  stand  by  harmless  and  watch  them  rend  one 
another  in  the  conflict  which  he  foresaw  to  be  in- 
evitable. 

So  mused  he  when  a  light  step  fell  on  his  ear 
followed  by  the  voice  of  Elvira  d'Este,  who,  as  she 
spied  him  through  the  foliage  called  out,  "  Good- 
morning  to  you,  cousin  Cesare.  I  have  come  to 
pluck  some  flowers  in  your  garden — am  I  in  the 
way?" 

"  What  a  bright,  rosy  face,"  answered  Valentino, 
smiling  in  the  young  girl's  sparkling  brown  eyes. 


TEE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  89 

"Nay,"  replied  she,  "T  thought  you  revolving 
affairs  of  state ;  have  you  nothing  more  serious  to 
say?" 

"  Affairs  of  state !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  this  fresh 
hour  is  the  sweetest  of  the  day  ;  why  then  cumber 
it  with  worldly  thoughts  ?  " 

"  You  love  it  as  I  do,"  cried  Elvira,  with  the 
exuberance  of  youth ;  "to  me  it  is  more  delicious 
than  music." 

"The  voice  of  nature  is  sweeter  than  song,  is 
it  not  ?  "  assented  Cesare  ;  then  turning,  he  said, 
"but  at  this  season  you  will  find  flowers  under 
cover  only ;  with  your  leave  I  will  gather  you  a 
posy  of  my  favorites,  and  see  if  they  be  not  yours 
also." 

"  Let  us  go  together,"  answered  Elvira,  as  she 
led  the  way  in. 

The  duke  made  his  choice  without  hesitation; 
honeysuckles,  a  cluster  of  pansies,  and  a  spray  of 
green ;  Elvira  fastened  them  in  her  bosom  and 
said,  "  Now  one  white  rose  for  my  hair."  But  the 
adjustment  of  this  last  was  attended  with  diffi- 
culty ;  she  stood  for  a  moment's  endeavor  with 
both  arms  raised,  and  the  wide  sleeves  falling  back 
from  them,  leaving  their  graceful  contour  bare  to 
the  elbow.  "  There,"  she  said,  "  it  is  placed  at 
last;"  and  dropping  her  arms  from  their  statu- 
esque pose,  she  nodded  gayly  to  her  companion  and 
ran  out  into  the  garden. 


90  VALENTINO. 

"  And  now  I  will  go,"  she  said,  archly ;  "  for  a 
bird  tells  me  you  have  a  tryst  to  keep." 

"With  whom?" 

"  With  the  lady  who  called  on  Giulia  last  even- 
ing ;  my  maid  told  me  of  it  this  morning,  and  she 
got  it  from " 

"  Good,  good,  but  the  lady's  name  ?  " 

"  The  Countess  Savelli,  wife  of  him  who  escaped 
so  wonderfully  from  St.  Angelo  ; "  then,  without 
noticing  the  fixed  attention  with  which  her  words 
were  listened  to,  she  continued,  "  they  say  she  is 
the  most  beautiful  woman  in  Rome — that  many 
think  so,  that  you  think  so  most  of  all.  Is  it 
true  ?  "  she  asked,  looking  up. 

Cesare's  face  wore  a  listless  expression  as  he 
answered,  "  She  has  been  living  in  villegiatura 
somewhere  away  from  Rome,  and  this  is  the  first  I 
know  of  her  return— and  is  likely  to  be  the  last," 
he  added  with  unconcern. 

While  Elvira  spoke,  his  thoughts  had  reverted 
o  the  lost  Ginevra  with  a  delighted  perception  of 
the  opportunity  which  chance  threw  in  his  way. 
He  had  acknowledged  to  himself  on  leaving  Rocca 
Savallo  that  the  woman  had  triumphed ;  he  did 
not  discern  very  clearly  whence  came  his  defeat, 
but  even  now,  if  Ginevra's  jealousy  could  be 
aroused ;  if  her  vanity  could  be  piqued  through 
his  pursuit  of  this  girl,  might  not — 

"  So  you  are  not  going  to  see  her  ?  "  asked  the 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  91 

Estense,  unconsciously  interrupting  his  medita- 
tions. 

"No,"  answered  Valentino,  upon  whom  the 
thought  grated,  "  my  time  is  brief — you  know  I 
leave  for  the  army  to-morrow." 

"  Is  it  so?  "  murmured  Elvira,  with  a  look  of  dis- 
appointment. 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  away  many  weeks,  and  things 
will  not  prosper  of  themselves." 

"  That  reminds  me  I  have  been  away  an  hour 
from  my  duenna.  So  adieu.  Pleasant  reverie  to 
you." 

But  Cesare  restrained  her.  "  You  promised  to 
tell  me  your  story,"  he  said,  "  tell  it  me  now ;  and 
let  me  know,  too,  who  is  this  Vallon  d'Avrees  you 
spoke  of?" 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  in  a  word  then,  for  indeed  I 
must  be  gone.  I  know  but  little  of  him,  save 
that  he  is  chief  of  a  band  of  condottieri.  A  year 
ago  at  Ferrara  he  rode  in  a  tourney  ;  it  was  as- 
signed to  me  to  deliver  the  wreath  to  the  victor — 
he,  an  unknown  adventurer,  without  even  a  blazon 
on  his  shield,  unhorsed  two  of  our  knights.  He 
was  led  up  to  receive  the  laurel,  gazed  at  me 
fixedly,  and  from  that  day  has  haunted  me  wher- 
ever I  go.  After  six  months  he  made  an  offer  of 
marriage  through  my  brother.  '  What ! '  I  ex- 
claimed, '  you  come  as  the  herald  of  a  nameless 
soldier.'  He  became  embarrassed,  stammered 


92  VALENTINO 

something  about  obligations,  promised  never  to 
speak  of  the  man  again,  and  left.  But  d'Avrees 
redoubled  his  efforts  when  once  he  knew  me  con- 
scious of  his  thought,  until  one  day  he  gained 
access  to  the  garden  where  I  was  sitting,  and  over- 
whelmed me  with  the  pleading  of  his — shall  I  call 
it  love  ?  I  bade  him  be  gone.  He  threatened  vague 
mischiefs  if  I  would  not  listen,  upon  which  I 
dashed  my  glove  in  his  face  and  told  him  if  he 
crossed  the  threshold  again  my  brother's  lackeys 
should  whip  him  out.  A  month  ago  he  re-ap- 
peared at  Ferrara  ;  wherever  I  went  he  followed. 
My  brother  seemed  possessed  as  by  some  spell ; 
not  a  day  passed  but  I  beheld  that  detested 
face  gazing  from  a  house  by  the  way,  from  some 
break  in  a  hedge,  from  the  turning  of  a  street, 
until  at  length  in  despair  and  disgust  I  fled — this 
marriage  of  Lucretia  was  my  pretext.  I  thought 
to  escape  my  persecutor  —  what  wonder  if  I 
changed  color  at  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  other 
evening  ?  " 

Cesare  listened  with  interest,  yet  with  a  half- 
amused  expression.  "  He  followed  you  in  time," 
he  observed,  "to  give  evidence  of  extreme  devo- 
tion to  Savelli.  At  the  risk  of  his  own  life  he 
furnished  him  means  of  escape.  What  motive 
could  induce  this  ?  " 

"Savelli  calls  himself  my  cousin  through  some- 
body's marriage  fifty  years  ago;  d'Avrees  mis- 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  93 

judged  his  influence  as  a  relative,  but  Savelli  did 
speak  to  my  brother — and  the  same  day  came  to 
me ;  he  never  came  again."  Here  the  girl  burst 
into  a  peal  of  laughter,  and,  lifting  her  merry  eyes, 
she  said,  "  I  told  him  before  presuming  to  counsel 
others  upon  marriage  he  should  trim  his — "  and 
her  last  word  was  lost  in  a  whisper. 

"  That  was  forcible,"  answered  Valentino,  dryly, 
and  Elvira  wondered  that  he  did  not  relish  more 
the  humor  of  her  repartee.  Then  he  turned  upon 
her,  took  both  her  hands,  and  said,  "  We  have  been 
friends  for  years ;  I  am  leaving  for  a  long,  perhaps 
a  perilous  absence  ;  there  is  no  one  in  this  palace 
you  can  appeal  to  for  advice  or  protection,  and  this 
madman  is  uncaught.  I  can  conceive  you  safer 
than  in  Rome.  It  may  be  you  will  return  to  Fer- 
rara,  if  so,  you  must  needs  pass  near  where  I  am, 
and  we  shall  meet  again,"  then,  letting  fall  her 
hands,  he  pursued  quickly,."  you  may  be  obliged  to 
go  in  haste,  an  escort  more  trusty  than  the  palace 
troopers  may  be  required;  if  so,  or  if  you  need 
protection,  or  some  service  rendered,  or  whatever 
it  may  be,  send  this  to  an  officer  of  mine,  del  Nero, 
at  the  end  of  the  Vicolo  dei  Santi  Martiri,  speak  to 
him  with  candor,  and  your  wishes  shall  be  ex- 
ecuted." And  so  speaking,  he  slipped  from  the 
golden  chain  at  his  neck  the  whistle  that  has  been 
noticed  at  Boscobel. 

Speaker  and  listener  were   alike  pre-occupied ; 


94  VALENTINO. 

the  branches  obscured  surrounding  objects,  and  an 
occasional  rustling  through  them  and  the  steady- 
trickling  and  splashing  of  the  water  would  have 
veiled  any  slight  sound  from  their  attention.  On 
the  outer  side  of  the  garden  wall  lay  planks,  bricks 
and  building  debris  left  from  recent  repairs.  Be- 
side them  lay  a  ladder,  forgotten  by  the  workmen, 
or  left  for  some  remaining  use.  Vallon  d'Avrees 
gliding  stealthily  along  the  outer  wall  of  the  Vati- 
can precincts,  devoured  by  the  thought  of  the 
degradation  of  his  love,  heard  the  pealing  laughter 
of  Elvira,  and  listening  intently,  distinguished  the 
soft  measured  voice  that  replied.  Not  a  word 
caught  he,  nor  cared  to  hear ;  it  was  the  work  of 
an  instant  to  poise  the  ladder  against  the  wall,  to 
reach  the  coping  undiscovered ;  thence  he  saw 
them,  Borgia  holding  the  Estense's  hands  unresist- 
ing in  his  own,  and  in  that  moment  of  delirium 
that  filled  his  veins  at  the  sight,  he  snatched  from 
beneath  his  cloak  a  small  steel  cross-bow  of  great 
power,  drew  back  the  cord,  adjusted  a  slender  iron 
bolt,  and  as  Elvira  bent  her  head  over  the  toy 
dropped  in  her  hand,  pulled  trigger — and  the 
missile  flew  evenly  between  her  and  her  com- 
panion. He  had  dropped  before  Cesare's  eyes 
were  upon  him,  but  Elvira's  quick  glance  recog- 
nized her  pursuer.  "  Oh,  Cesare,"  she  cried,  seiz- 
ing the  arm  of  Valentino,  "save  me  from  that 
man ! "  and  she  would  have  sunk  to  the  ground  had 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND   THE  NEW.  95 

not  the  duke  caught  her  lightly  and  borne  her 
among  the  trees  and  trellices  beyond  reach  of  a 
second  shaft.  Then  he  shouted  lustily  for  the 
guard.  Two  officers  and  a  score  of  men  came  run- 
ning from  the  main  buildings,  three  others  sprang 
from  the  Belvedere.  He  addressed  them  abruptly, 
"  A  man  on  the  wall  yonder — has  not  had  time  to 
leave  the  street — bring  him  dead  or  alive."  The 
soldiers  scattered  at  the  instant,  and  gaining 
various  means  of  egress,  left  Cesare  once  more 
alone  with  Elvira,  who  was  now  sufficiently  re- 
stored to  rise  from  the  seat  where  he  had  placed 
her.  No  word  was  spoken  as  he  led  her  to  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  that  conducted  to  the  suites  of 
rooms  above — then  springing  through  the  long 
corridors  he  snatched  a  sword  from  the  guard- 
room and  running  at  full  speed  from  one  chamber 
to  another,  came  out  upon  the  vicolo,  glanced  up 
and  down  its  empty  extent,  surveyed  for  an  instant 
the  ladder  whence  the  bolt  had  been  discharged, 
and  stood  irresolute  ;  the  street  was  deserted  by 
pursued  and  pursuers ;  there  were  half  a  dozen  ways 
d'Avrees  might  have  shaped  his  flight,  and  so  Ce- 
sare walked  briskly  forward  at  random,  supposing 
to  meet  presently  some  of  his  men-at-arms  ;  but 
none  appeared,  and  he  saw  only  a  boorish  conta- 
dino  driving  his  goats  from  milking,  and  a  stall- 
keeper  setting  his  wares  in  order  for  the  day, 
neither  of  whom  had  seen  the  fugitive.  He  paused 


96  VALENTINO. 

at  length,  not  sorry  to  find  that  his  chance  course 
had  brought  him  to  the  abode  of  del  Nero. 

The  house  wore  an  exterior  as  peaceable  as  the 
walls  of  a  convent.  Cesare  rapped  on  the  iron- 
barred  door  with  the  pummel  of  his  sword,  for 
knocker  there  was  none,  and  at  an  upper  window  a 
lattice  was  turned,  then  cautiously  opened,  and  the 
watchman  seeing  the  top  of'  only  one  man's  hat, 
leaned  out  and  hallooed  :  "  Chi  ce  ?  "  and  the  face 
below  being  upturned,  he  immediately  withdrew, 
hastened  down  the  stair,  passing  a  word  to  his 
chief  as  he  went,  and  admitted  the  visitor  with 
every  mark  of  reverence. 

"  Quick,  the  padrone." 

An  obsequious  indication  was  made  to  the  stairs, 
down  which  del  Nero  hastened ;  through  the  guard- 
room, where  four  of  his  lambs  had  risen  to  their 
feet  from  a  breakfast  which  smelled  of  bacon, 
Borgia  was  ushered  into  what  the  condottiere 
chief  called  the  studio ;  this  room  was  furnished 
after  a  purely  practical  ideal :  a  large  table ;  a 
cabinet  subdivided  into  drawers  and  shelves  and 
pigeon  holes,  all  stuffed  with  manuscript  books 
and  bundles  of  papers  ;  a  pen  and  ink  map  of  the 
environs  of  Home,  on  which  was  marked  every 
house,  lane,  brooklet,  and  hillslope ;  a  few  arms  of 
precision,  and  several  common  but  comfortable 
chairs. 

The  condottiere  placed  one  of  these  before  his 


THE  OLD  LOVE  AND  THE  NEW.  9? 

employer,  remained  himself  standing  until  twice 
bidden  to  be  seated,  and  this  little  formality  of 
etiquette  disposed  of,  Cesare  commenced  a  rapid 
conversation  in  which  the  transfer  of  the  silver 
whistle  and  the  necessity  of  making  an  end  of  this 
troublesome  jack-in-the-box  lover  were  the  topics 
considered. 
5 


CHAPTER  V, 

OBMES. 

TWILIGHT  closed  in  gray  and  chill  as  the  sun 
sank  amid  heavy  clouds  which  soon  after  poured 
down  a  steady  rainfall  Through  the  long  unoccu- 
pied afternoon,  Ginevra  had  watched  for  the  com- 
ing of  d'Avrees ;  and  as  the  hour  appointed  for 
departure  neared,  and  still  he  came  not,  in  the 
midst  of  her  reverie  of  expectant  triumph  and  the 
mysterious  apprehension  with  which  her  hopes 
were  overcast,  she  felt  troubled  at  the  absence  of 
so  earnest  a  coadjutor.  Thrice  she  looked  long 
and  eagerly  from  her  window,  impatient  to  discover 
his  figure  lurking  under  some  covert— but  in  vain. 
At  length  a  servant  announced  her  litter ;  she  de- 
scended the  stair,  and  saw  far  down  the  street  the 
muffled  form  of  a  man  approaching ;  she  watched 
intently,  and  observing  that  the  figure  halted  on 
discovering  the  group  of  guards  and  bearers  be- 
fore her  door,  she  stepped  from  their  midst,  indif- 
ferent to  the  beating  rain,  and  waved  a  handker- 
chief. The  stranger,  reassured  by  this  signal, 
advanced,  and  with  a  salute  of  recognition,  strode 
to  her  side. 


ORMES.  99 

"Not  a  minute  remains  for  explanations,"  she 
said,  "  I  am  already  late  ;  know  only  that  I  go  with 
Giulia  Farnese  to  contrive  measures  for  the  rescue 

of her ,  and  that  it  is  your  interest  to 

come  with  me." 

D'Avrees  had  passed  no  tranquil  day  since  his 
adventure  of  the  morning,  and  had  almost  for- 
gotten his  appointment,  but  when  it  recurred  to 
him,  he  instantly  bestirred  himself  in  the  hope 
that  something  might  be  communicated  by  Ginevra 
to  occupy  his  anxiety.  Accordingly,  he  followed 
through  lane  after  lane,  all  unpaved  and  muddy, 
till  they  came  in  sight  of  the  bridge  of  St.  Angelo 
and  of  Giulia's  train  which  stood  disconsolately 
about  her  litter,  their  torches  extinguished  and  the 
men  wondering  among  themselves  at  this  sortie  of 
their  luxurious  mistress. 

"I  thought  you  were  never  coming,"  exclaimed 
the  Farn^se,  as  Ginevra  was  carried  within  speak- 
ing distance,  "  and  is  ke  with  you  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  we  shall  confer  better  at  our  desti- 
nation;" and  at  her  request  the  litter  of  Ginlia 
moved  on  before. 

Another  ten  minutes'  trudge  between  lightless 
houses,  whose  doors  and  windows  were  for  the 
most  part  close  barred,  even  at  that  early  hour, 
brought  them  to  the  wizard's  abode,  vaguely  dis- 
tinguishable by  the  glimmer  of  the  three  flickering 
lanterns  their  party  still  mustered. 


100  VALENTINO. 

The  door  opened  before  any  summons  was  made  ; 
the  ladies  and  d'Avrees  entered,  and  were  bidden 
by  the  gesture  of  two  silent  servants  to  a  room 
brightly  illumined  behind  its  drawn  curtains  of 
Oriental  tapestry,  and  within  which  the  most  wel- 
come object  at  that  moment  was  a  brazier  of  live 
coals.  One  of  the  servants  desired  them  to  be 
seated,  and  pouring  from  a  flagon  at  a  side  table, 
offered  each  a  goblet  of  wine  which  the  consid- 
erate magician  had  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  for 
the  invigoration  of  his  visitors. 

As  the  door  closed  upon  them,  Ginevra  said, 
"  Capitano  d'Avrees,  I  present  you  to  Madonna 
Farnese  ;  the  motive  of  this  visit  cannot  be  fully 
communicated  at  this  present — for  want  of  time ;  but 
you  understand  that  we  are  one  in  purpose  to  res- 
cue a  certain  lady  from  a  danger  which  threatens — " 

"  Threatens,"  muttered  d' Avrtes  with  an  oath. 
— "  and  which  can  only  be  averted  by  our  joint  and 
earnest  effort." 

"  I  have  often  heard  of  you  as  an  officer  of  dis- 
tinguished merit,"  said  Giulia,  speaking  the  flat- 
tering falsehood  with  a  smile  so  ingenuous  that  the 
disguised  condottiere  started  at  the  thought  that 
his  incognito  had  been  pierced,  "  but  I  never  ex- 
pected to  hear  your  name  so  often  as  it  has  been 
spoken  to-day  ;  you  have  set  the  Vatican  agog ;  we 
are  all  wondering  for  which  one  you  meant  that 
shaft — for  Cesare,  or — the  woman !  " 


ORMES.  101 

The  entrance  of  the  magician  interrupted  their 
discourse.  He  was  a  sedate,  sad  eyed,  courteous 
mannered  old  man,  of  intellectual  face,  speaking 
with  an  accent  savoring  of  the  Orient,  habited  in 
plain  black,  with  broad  laced  collar  and  ruffles  at 
the  wrists.  He  dissembled  with  admirable  self- 
possession  his  surprise  at  finding  a  cavalier  in 
company  with  the  two  ladies  of  whose  visit  he 
had  been  forewarned,  and  while  he  bids  them  wel- 
come and  Jeads  them  to  an  upper  chamber,  we  will 
communicate  to  the  reader  some  episodes  of  his 
career  in  Borne. 

Landed  on  the  coast  of  the  Papal  States  from  a 
Turkish  ship  of  war  eight  years  previously,  he 
had  presently  established  himself  in  the  house  he 
now  occupied.  He  attracted  little  attention,  living 
as  he  did  in  monkish  seclusion.  Two  weeks  after 
his  arrival,  he  was  received  by  his  Holiness  in 
private  audience,  upon  transmission  of  a  letter 
bearing  the  signature  of  Sultan  Bajazet,  and  which 
related  to  a  matter  that  had  been  the  subject  of 
correspondence  between  the  Sultan  and  the  Pope. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mahomet  II.,  a  conflict  had 
arisen  between  his  sons  Bajazet,  the  elder,  born 
before  his  father  attained  the  throne,  and  Djem, 
born  thereafter,  who  asserted  Bajazet  to  be  mere- 
ly the  offspring  of  a  private  individual.  A  san- 
guinary struggle  ensued,  from  which  Djem  fled 
to  the  Knights  of  Rhodes,  thence  to  France,  and 


102  VALENTINO. 

finally  to  Rome.  Here,  instead  of  an  honorable 
asylum,  he  found  a  prison — Bajazet  paying  forty 
thousand  ducats  annually  to  the  Pope  ostensibly 
as  a  pension  to  defray  his  brother's  expenses,  but 
given  and  received  for  his  detention.  After  a  few 
years,  this  confinement  seemed  not  sufficient 
guaranty,  and  to  have  him  put  out  of  the  way,  the 
Sultan  offered  two  hundred  thousand  ducats,  a 
precious  Christian  relic,  and  the  alliance  of  his 
arms.  The  approach  of  Charles  VIII.,  among 
whose  projects  was  an  invasion  of  Turkey,  taking 
Djem  as  a  lieutenant  to  succeed  the  dethroned  Ba- 
jazet, brought  these  negotiations  to  a  climax/ 
Bajazet's  bribe  became  so  large,  and  his  entreaty 
to  have  this  dangerous  rival  destroyed  grew  so 
appealing  that  the  sympathetic  heart  of  the  Pon- 
tiff was  melted.  On  the  demand  of  King  Charles, 
Prince  Djem  was  indeed  surrendered  to  him,  but 
arrived  at  Capua  a  few  days  later,  he  suddenly 
sickened  and  died.  It  was  Ormes  who  rendered 
this  service  by  means  of  a  preparation  of  arsenic, 
which,  acting  slowly  upon  the  vital  parts,  made  it 
possible  to  deliver  the  victim  in  outward  health. 
He  had  been  sent  to  Rome  by  the  Turkish  mon- 
arch for  this  task,  should  it  prove  possible  to  bring 
Alexander  to  a  resolve,  and  this  function  dis- 
charged, he  had  been  induced  to  linger ;  for  the  Pope 
was  not  slow  to  perceive  that  other  occasions  might 
arise  for  the  employment  of  so  skilled  a  hand,  and 


ORMES.  103 

Cesare  forsaking  the  compounders  of  coarse  drugs, 
conferred  upon  him  his  entire  favor.  He  was  soon 
exchanging  for  large  sums  powders  similar  to  that 
administered  to  the  Turk — or  an  antidote  to  the 
three  poisons  most  frequently  in  use — or  fram- 
ing for  the  credulous,  predictions  upon  the  future, 
with  apparitions,  and  the  dead  brought  back  to 
a  semblance  of  their  living  selves,  and  answering 
in  the  familiar  accents  of  the  flesh. 

His  latest  service  to  the  Pope  had  been  rendered 
eighteen  months  previously,  when  Giacomo  Caetani, 
whose  family  was  to  be  spoiled  of  its  possessions 
under  guise  of  a  sale  to  the  Church,  refused  in  his 
dungeon  at  St.  Angelo  either  to  sign  consent  to  the 
confiscation  of  his  estates,  or  to  eat  poisoned  food. 
To  avoid  the  tumult  his  open  assassination  might 
arouse,  it  became  necessary  to  allow  him  food  pre- 
pared by  his  own  attendants  pending  the  conclusion 
of  a  suit  which  was  part  of  the  drama.  In  this 
emergency,  Alexander  sent  for  Ormes;  the  ma- 
gician removed  alone  to  St.  Angelo,  and  during  the 
small  hours  took  from  the  room  of  Caetani's  sleep- 
ing servant  a  porcelain  cup  containing  paste  used 
in  the  process  of  his  master's  shaving ;  shortly 
after  it  was  restored  to  its  place,  without  change  in 
appearance — but  the  next  night  Caetani  was  seized 
with  convulsions  and  died  in  the  arms  of  his  at- 
tendant ;  the  cup  of  shaving  paste  was  missing  from 
his  scanty  prison  effects,  but  the  disappearance  of 


104  VALENTINO. 

so  trifling  an  object  attracted  no  comment.  Only, 
among  a  few  intimates  at  the  Vatican,  shaving  soap 
became  the  theme  of  pungent  jests. 

Visited  soon  after  by  Alfonzo  of  Aragon  (Lu- 
cretia's  recently  murdered  husband),  he  had 
startled  that  Prince  by  his  fearful  incantations, 
the  end  of  which  was  a  frank  prediction — violent 
death.  To  Lucretia  he  had  assured  many  years' 
life  and  an  unknown  grave.  For  Giulia  he  had 
found  only  auspicious  prognostications,  which  per- 
haps accounted  for  the  ready  facility  with  which 
she  visited  him.  The  sceptical  Cesare  had  never 
conferred  with  him  upon  the  future,  having  small 
faith  in  conjurers,  however  high  might  be  his 
estimate  of  powdered  arsenic. 

He  led  the  two  ladies  to  an  upper  chamber,  with 
which  one  of  them  was  familiar ;  by  tacit  consent 
d'Avrees  was  left  below  until  the  delicate  part  of  the 
conference  had  been  disposed  of.  He  acquiesced  in 
this  arrangement  with  contemptuous  indifference  ; 
in  consenting  to  accompany  Ginevra  he  had  antic- 
ipated the  development  of  some  daring  enterprise, 
upon  whose  probable  nature  he  had  already  been 
speculating :  to  be  dropped  from  these  practical 
considerations  to  the  level  of  a  conjurer's  tricks,  was 
a  disenchantment  so  utter  as  to  render  him  indif- 
ferent to  whatever  might  be  proposed. 

The  room  in  which  Giulia  and  Ginevra  found 
themselves  was  a  large  apartment  with  no  preten- 


ORME8.  105 

sion  to  anything  beyond  the  comfort  an  elderly  man 
of  sedentary  habits  would  desire ;  manuscripts 
there  were  in  abundance,  astronomical  globes  and 
charts,  a  clock,  still  something  of  a  rarity,  a  large 
fire-place  in  which  glowed  a  heavy  log,  oil  lamps  in 
sufficient  number  to  supply  a  cheerful  light,  several 
leather-covered  chairs,  and  cabinets  the  doors  of 
which  were  closed.  Ginevra  correctly  inferred  this 
to  be  the  consulting  room  of  the  wizard,  not  the 
scene  of  his  incantations. 

He  seated  himself  before  them,  and,  turning  to 
Giulia,  said  :  "  You  wish  to  speak  with  me  upon  a 
matter  of  extreme  importance — of  life  and  death 
according  to  your  letter.  Is  this  lady  equally 
interested?" 

"  Yes." 

"  And  the  cavalier  below  ?  " 

"  Has  more  at  stake  than  we  ;  it  is  in  his  interest 
we  are  here,  though,  to  be  brief,  let  us  say  our  in- 
terest is  equal." 

"  You  are  one  and  all  in  equal  danger  ?  " 

"  Not  so,"  replied  the  Farnese  with  some  asper- 
ity ;  "  danger  there  may  be  to  one  who  has  crossed 
us.  We  are  here  to  study  the  fates,  to  seek  guid- 
ance as  to  means  and  opportunities — and  possibly 
the  hearing  of  thus  much  may  suggest  that  in 
which  we  are  deficient."  At  the  last  words  the  old 
man  glanced  from  one  woman  to  the  other,  and 
each  read  in  that  look  that  he  had  understood. 
5* 


106  VALENTINO. 

He  had  indeed  grown  adept  in  reading  thoughts, 
and  callous  to  the  vices  and  crimes  with  which 
every  month  brought  him  in  contact.  Not  desire 
of  money  alone  determined  his  co-operation  with 
the  clientele  which  sought  him.  More  potent 
motives  were  love  of  that  power  which  the  astute 
hold  over  the  credulous,  and  an  enjoyment  in  the 
skilful  application  of  his  circuitous  methods— sim- 
ilar, somewhat,  to  the  zest  of  a  mathematician 
in  the  solution  of  a  problem  ;  or  the  satisfaction 
of  an  inventor  in  the  exercise  of  his  gifts.  Occa- 
sionally some  critical  issue,  some  complicated 
situation  was  confided  to  his  judgment,  with  rich 
results  in  prospect  and  knotty  entanglements  about 
the  execution,  and  then  it  was  that  he  labored 
patiently  and  with  refinement  of  elaboration  to 
group  circumstances  and  determine  time,  and  fix 
the  opportunity,  and  secure  concealment,  till  in  his 
eyes  his  perfected  scheme  seemed  an  artistic  master- 
piece. 

"If  it  be  your  pleasure,"  saidOrmes,  "  now  that 
I  am  informed  of  your  wishes,  we  will  pass  to  the 
laboratory,  and  you  shall  witness  the  experiments 
we  will  attempt  together." 

In  the  adjoining  room  was  the  paraphernalia  re- 
garded in  that  century  as  the  machinery  of  those 
arts  which  whoso  practised  stood  in  certainty  of 
hell  fire,  and  in  danger  of  the  fires  of  the  Church. 
Ormes,  however,  while  regarded  as  in  league  with 


OEME8.  107 

the  devil,  was  also  under  the  protection  of  the 
Pope,  and,  consequently,  on  Earth,  at  least,  lived 
unmolested.  There  was  a  furnace  of  peculiar  con- 
struction, shelves  filled  with  vials,  several  tables,  a 
large  basin  on  a  tripod,  a  metal  plate  against  the 
wall,  a  canvas  adapted  to  receive  colored  reflec- 
tions, an  ebony  cabinet,  a  pile  of  atlas-like  books, 
and  a  mirror  covered  with  a  gauze  veil,  upon  all  of 
which  the  unsophisticated  Ginevra  gazed  with  trepi- 
dation ;  she  made  as  though  to  cross  herself ;  but, 
checked  by  the  consciousness  that  the  intention  of 
the  present  errand  was  not  one  the  powers  above 
could  be  asked  to  bless,  she  abstained  from  the 
protecting  symbol. 

Ormes  desired  them  to  face  the  fire,  which  he 
replenished.  Then  having  laid  upon  it  the  metal 
plate  or  shield  which  hung  against  the  wall,  he 
drew  forward  a  chair  for  himself,  turned  smil- 
ing to  Giulia  and  said  : 

"I  will  endeavor  to  show  you  with  that  an  ex- 
periment that  will  be  new  ;  and  now  to  what  in- 
vestigation shall  we  first  proceed  ?  " 

"  Ormes,"  said  Giulia,  "  we  wish  for  any  hints 
your  appliances  can  give,  but  you  must  already 
have  divined  that  we  need  something  else." 

"  I  knew  it  the  instant  you  entered  the  house ; 
but  there  is  an  incompleteness  in  your  thought 
which  makes  my  perception  less  exact  than  ordi- 
nary. You  must  either  tell  me  what  is  needed,  or 


108  VALENTINO. 

resolve  it  definitely  in  your  mind,  when  it  will  be 
unnecessary  to  speak." 

"It  is  true  my  thoughts  are  not  distinct;  in  sub- 
stance we  require  that  which  will  dispose  whoever 
receives  it  to  hasten  from  Eome  :  some  distemper 
of  the  blood,  a  temporary  congestion " 

"  And  a  fatal  termination  ?  " 

"  No,"  hastily  interposed  Ginevra,  who  had  not 
spoken  till  now. 

"  No,"  chimed  in  Giulia,  committed  by  her  com- 
panion's reply. 

The  wise  man  had  expected  a  quite  different  an- 
swer :  he  resumed,  "  And  how  is  time  to  be  propor- 
tioned?" 

"  Immediate  use,"  said  Giulia,  to  whom  this  sin- 
gular query  was  not  unintelligible,  "and  effect 
within  two  days." 

The  magician  consulted  a  large  volume,  produced 
a  chemist's  scale,  took  down  several  of  the  little 
bottles,  weighed  out  a  few  grains  from  each,  and 
delivered  the  mixture  to  Giulia,  remarking  in  the 
matter-of-fact  tone  of  a  physician  to  his  patient, 
"  In  a  glass  of  wine — not  water,  for  the  color  would 
show ;  not  in  a  dish,  for  the  entire  mixture  must 
be  taken." 

The  Farnese  dropped  the  poison  into  a  leather 
reticule  at  her  belt.  "  And  now,"  she  said  with  a 
relieved  expression,  "  to  the  experiments." 

"  May  not  we  admit  d' Avrees?  "  suggested  Ginevra. 


OEME8.  109 

"  That  depends,"  observed  Giulia,  "  upon  what  is 
to  follow." 

"  I  intend  first  to  show  you  upon  that  canvas  a 
fac-simile  of  the  signature  of  the  lady  who  has  been 
in  your  thoughts ;  second,  the  water  in  this  basin 
shall  reflect  a  picture  of  her  life  past,  and  another 
of  her  life  to  come  ;  lastly,  on  this  plate  that  is  heat- 
ing, you  shall  see  her  face  as  it  will  appear  after 
death." 

"  After  death  !  "  ejaculated  Ginevra. 

"  Let  him  come,  if  that  be  all,"  said  Giulia. 

The  magician  touched  a  knob,  and  a  servant  ap- 
peared, whom  his  master  addressed  in  a  language 
unknown  to  his  visitors ;  he  then  busied  himself 
with  the  arrangement  of  sundry  appliances,  and, 
while  thus  engaged,  d'Avrees  entered,  and  without 
speaking,  placed  himself  behind  the  ladies.  The 
lamps  were  extinguished,  leaving  the  room  illu- 
mined by  the  red  glow  of  the  oven.  The  magician 
desired  them  to  fix  their  eyes  on  the  surface  of 
the  canvas.  From  the  opposite  wall  now  fell  upon 
it  a  lurid  light  in  the  form  of  a  disc,  over  which  a 
moment  later  flitted  the  words  in  a  hand  none  of 
of  the  startled  trio  had  ever  before  seen — 

Elvira  d?Este  di  Ferfara. 

The  disc  vanished ;  the  magician  relighted  his 
oil  lamps,  saying  in  an  explanatory  tone  to  d'Av- 
rees, "  The  person  about  whom  I  have  been  con- 


HO 

suited,  but  whose  name,  as  these  ladies  will  bear 
witness,  has  not  been  communicated  to  me." 

D'Avrees  looked  puzzled  lor  a  moment,  then  he 
said :  "  However  ingenious  TOOT  juggleries*  there  is 
the  same  defect  in  all— that  they  lead  to  noth- 
ing. You  prate  of  gold,  and  are  necessitous ;  you 
sell  the  water  of  youth,  and  cannot  stay  your  own 
decay  ;  you  know  the  future,  yet  are  overtaken  by 
unexpected  misfortune." 

The  magician's  placid  face  darkened  as  he  lis- 
tened to  this  discourteous  speech ;  then  with  an 
assumption  of  urbanity  he  answered :  "  When  Ifefl, 
it  is  owing  to  the  weakness  of  human  rnJirmity 
which  sometimes  overflows  the  sources  of  my 
strength.  Those  who  live  only  for  the  sake  of  in- 
dulgence, know  not  that  in  self-conquest  there  is  a 
power  so  vast  as  to  be  capable  of  arresting  even 
the  forces  of  Nature." 

"  You  mean  that  you  can  defer  the  approach  of 
death?" 

"  Only  in  one  who  practises  the  self-discipline 
that  masters  every  passion  and  extinguishes  tzhe 
elements  that  draw  us  to  earth." 

"  You  yourself  will  not  die  ?  "  interposed  OMB 
vra. 

"  Not  so,"  ambiguously  answered  OrmeSy  turning 
to  her.  "  In  the  course  of  nature,  the  end  of  life 
proceeds  from  suspension  of  the  vital  principle : 
only  in  one  in  whom  both  mind  and  tibre  at  body 


ORM&S.  Ill 

have  been  brought  into  subjection,  can  vitality  be 
resuscitated.  When  I  choose  to  die,  my  life  will 
cease.  By  the  effort  of  a  will  which  self-abnega- 
tion has  rendered  perfect,  I  prevent  the  diminution 
of  the  sustaining  element.  And  should  an  unsus- 
pected accumulation  of  the  dross  of  humanity 
threaten,  I  possess  in  this  an  element  akin  to  life." 
And  he  took  from  the  ebony  cabinet  and  held  be- 
fore them  a  crystal,  wherein  a  drop  of  water  was 
distinguishable. 

"  In  that  moisture,"  he  said,  "  is  the  primeval 
element  of  life.  It  is  of  the  mist  that  ascended 
beneath  the  warmth  of  the  sunshine  of  the  day  of 
creation,  or  of  the  dew  that  fell  on  the  night  that 
followed.  It  is  free  from  the  contamination  of 
man,  and  death  was  unknown  when  it  became  en- 
closed in  its  little  recess.  Who  shall  say  that  it 
retains  not,  even  after  the  lapse  of  ages,  some- 
thing of  the  essence  of  life  !  " 

Ormes  now  drew  the  basin  half  filled  with  water 
to  the  centre  of  the  room,  poured  into  it  a  few 
drops  of  something  resembling  black  oil,  which  at 
once  spread  in  a  mirror-like  surface. 

"  Upon  that,"  he  remarked,  "  you  will  presently 
behold  two  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  woman  whose 
name  has  been  reflected." 

He  now  turned  once  more  to  the  big  books, 
from  which  he  read  aloud  some  passages  in  an 
Oriental  tongue,  then  lighted  a  few  grains  of 


112  VALENTINO. 

a  chemical  preparation  which  emitted  an  odor  of 
bitter  aloes  ;  this,  when  the  flame  had  subsided,  he 
threw  upon  the  oil,  which,  at  the  contact,  was 
filled  with  iridescent  coloring.  The  three  visitors, 
who  had  risen  to  their  feet  to  observe  the  better, 
gathered  on  the  other  side  of  the  basin.  But  they 
looked  and  waited  in  vain.  The  conjurer  exhausted 
all  the  selections  which  he  found  appropriate,  the  oil 
gradually  lost  the  changing  aspect  it  had  acquired 
from  the  burning  substance,  and  returned  to  its 
dull,  murky  tint,  and  the  interest  which  had  ap- 
peared on  d'Avrees'  countenance  gave  place  to  a 
contemptuous  sneer.  The  magician  abandoned  his 
unsuccessful  experiment  without  loss  of  equanim- 
ity, returned  the  basin  to  its  place,  and  said — 

"  And  now  for  our  third  trial." 

By  a  small  tongs  he  raised  from  the  fire  the 
metallic  plate  that  had  been  lying  upon  it,  whose 
surface  presented  the  appearance  of  oxidized  sil- 
ver, with  a  deep  glow  of  heat. 

Upon  it  the  conjurer  could  produce  the  picture 
of  past  or  future  events.  For  Alexander,  he  had 
recalled  the  waste  of  waters  of  the  Deluge,  a  sem- 
blance of  the  streams  of  fire  upon  Gomorrah,  the 
white,  frightened  face  of  Lot's  wife,  Thermopylas's 
heroic  despair,  Alaric's  armies  thronging  through 
the  Alps,  the  toil  of  the  Jews  in  their  Babylonian 
captivity,  the  physical  aspect  of  the  new  discov- 
ered hemisphere — the  prairie,  the  everglade,  the 


ORMES.  113 

mountain  yet  unsealed — all  these  had  been  re- 
flected on  that  magic  shield. 

He  now  poured  upon  it  a  spoonful  of  liquid  which 
spread  simmering  and  became  quickly  dissipated 
in  light  vapor,  and  next  requested  d'Avrees  to  ex- 
tinguish the  lamps ;  this  done,  he  busied  himself 
in  scattering  upon  the  plate  some  grains  that 
looked  like  salt,  and  which  the  heated  metal  in- 
stantly consumed. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  moments,  the  conjurer  ex- 
perienced what  resembled  an  electric  or  magnetic 
shock ;  his  frame  quivered,  his  lips  ceased  to 
repeat  the  muttered  incantations,  his  hand  firmly 
clenched  the  tongs  by  which  he  raised  the  metal 
aloft,  now  made  brighter  by  the  drugs  just  con- 
sumed, and  upon  which  appeared  a  white  spot 
which  enlarged  till  it  fille.d  the  lower  half  of  the 
plate. 

What  it  represented,  none  could  say ;  it  might 
have  been  a  sheet  or  a  pile  of  linen,  or  a  snow- 
drift. Both  the  women,  and  even  d'Avrees  felt  an 
undefinable  dread  as  above  it  shimmered  forth 
the  vague  semblance  of  a  woman's  face,  dim 
and  inscrutable  as  a  reflection  seen  on  polished 
marble. 

Slowly  its  contour  became  more  determined,  the 
pallor  of  the  cheeks  grew  distinct,  the  disordered 
hair  fell  at  one  side,  the  eyes  were  closed  in 
death — at  the  throat  was  a  severing  line,  as  though 


114  VALENTINO. 

the  head  they  gazed  on  had  been  parted  from  its 
body. 

"  Elvira ! "  cried  d'Avrees  in  a  paroxysm  of  ex- 
citement. 

At  that  word  the  charm  which  held  them  all 
spellbound  was  broken  ;  the  face  faded  into  dim- 
ness. 

Giulia  gave  an  hysterical  gasp  of  relief,  Ginevra 
wiped  the  beads  from  her  brow. 

"  You  should  not  have  spoken,"  said  the  wizard 
as  the  last  trace  of  the  apparition  disappeared. 
"  The  face  would  have  grown  clear  as  a  portrait  in 
a  moment  more." 

"  How  did  you  produce  that  horrible  image  ?  " 
asked  d'Avrees. 

"  I  produce  nothing ;  were  these  mere  tricks  con- 
trolled by  me,  think  you  I  should  have  failed  a 
moment  ago?  They  are  forecasts  which  no  hu- 
man agency  could  bring  about." 

"  I,  for  one,  have  had  enough  of  them,"  cried 
Ginevra  ;  "  may  I  never  again  behold  that  face." 

"  You  will  behold  it  again  though,  and  twice,"  re- 
plied the  seer ;  "  the  last  time  at  the  hour  of  death." 

On  hearing  this  prophecy  of  uncomfortable  im- 
port, Ginevra  rose  abruptly : 

"It  is  late,"  she  observed  uneasily  to  Giulia, 
"  and  methinks  our  purpose  is  accomplished." 

"Think  you  so? "  ejaculated  d'Avrees;  "then 
our  purposes  in  coming  here  were  not  the  same." 


ORMKS.  115 

Ormes  tossed  his  plate  back  upon  the  stove,  re- 
lighted two  of  the  lamps  and  touched  again  the 
knob. 

"  I  am  fatigued  to-night,"  he  said,  "  and  can  do 
no  more ;  you  will  pardon  the  weakness  of  an  old 
man ;  but  since  this  gentle  cavalier  is  not  content, 
I  will  ask  for  a  look  at  the  palm  of  his  hand — he 
shall  hear  something  more  nearly  satisfactory;" 
and  taking  the  condottiere's  hand  in  his,  he  scruti- 
nized it  attentively,  and  remarked  with  some  asper- 
ity: 

"  Your  true  name  is  not  that  by  which  you  are 
known  here  to-night." 

The  individual  thus  abruptly  addressed  listened 
with  a  look  half  of  disdain,  hali  of  uneasy  sur- 
prise. The  magician  continued — 

"  I  see  written  here  a  name — yours,  or  that  of  the 
place  where  Fortune  awaits  you — a  single  word — 
F-E-B-M-O." 

The  condottiere  at  hearing  this  snatched  his 
hand  away,  and  with  a  curse  and  a  menacing  scowl, 
"Enough  of  this  jesting,"  he  cried;  "I  will  be 
gone." 

The  servant  appeared  and  they  descended  to- 
gether accompanied  by  the  magician  to  the  lower 
hall,  where  the  women  wished  him  felice  notte,  and 
passed  to  their  litters. 

D'Avrees  gave  only  a  surly  nod,  at  which  the 
wizard  smiled  as  the  door  closed  behind  his  visit- 


116  VALENTINO. 

ors.  He  returned  to  his  upper  chambers,  opened 
the  windows  of  his  laboratory  to  rid  it  of  the 
fumes  of  his  drugs,  replaced  the  plate,  emptied 
the  basin,  and  poured  out  for  himself  a  wineglass- 
ful  of  a  clear,  amber-colored  liquid,  which  he  oc- 
casionally dispensed  as  an  elixir,  and  which  is 
still  taken  as  such  under  the  name  of  Certosa  or 
Chartreuse.  He  sipped  it  with  unctuous  satisfac- 
tion while  musing  aloud — 

"  What  a  lucky  devil  is  Valentino ;  just  in  the 
nick  of  time  to-day,  or  I  should  have  given  these 
women  the  potion  they  asked  for — and  then  alas 
for  this  Elvira  they  all  have  their  brains  full  of ! 
How  absurd  in  Oliverotto  to  imagine  I  would  not 
know  his  face."  And  the  wizard,  pouring  out  an- 
other glassful,  sat  down  for  a  moment's  meditation. 

This  last  subject  of  his  reverie  troubled  him- 
self no  further  about  the  ladies,  but  turning  in  the 
opposite  direction  from  their  way,  passed  instantly 
out  of  sight  in  the  murky  darkness. 

"  What  an  ill-mannered  varlet,"  exclaimed  Giu- 
lia. 

"  Confess,  dear,  that  the  evening  has  not  been 
auspicious  for  him,"  interposed  Ginevra  laughing, 
and  recovering  her  spirits  in  the  open  air  despite 
the  rain. 

"  It  was  his  errand  that  brought  us  out  in  this 
storm — peste  !  the  water  has  soaked  through  every- 


ORMES.  117 

thing ;  suppose  you  come  home  with  me — we  will 
have  supper,  and  you  shall  sleep  in  the  room  ad- 
joining mine.  We  must  talk  over  our  plans,  and  you 
can  leave  in  the  morning  at  whatever  hour  you 
please." 

"  Willingly,"  answered  Ginevra,  who  in  the  ex- 
cited state  of  her  nerves  had  no  great  desire  to 
return  alone  to  the  forsaken  halls  of  the  Savelli 
palace. 

The  condottiere  threaded  his  way  through  a 
maze  of  narrow  streets  till  he  found  himself  by  the 
waterside,  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  bridge  of 
St.  Angelo,  upon  which,  needless  to  say,  he  dared 
not  show  himself. 

A  boatman  crouched  half  asleep  in  the  shadow, 
whom  he  roused  with  an  unceremonious  kick,  then 
feeling  his  way  into  the  skiff  which  was  drawn  to 
shore,  they  pushed  swifty  across  the  turbid  current 
and  gained  the  opposite  bank.  Here  he  whispered 
an  order  to  his  attendant,  and  then  sprang  to  land, 
and,  cautiously  making  a  detour,  came  finally  to  a 
house  the  door  of  which  he  opened  with  a  key 
he  took  from  his  pocket.  Drawing  a  wax  taper 
out  of  the  same  receptacle,  he  lighted  it,  and,  with 
this  glimmer  to  guide  his  steps,  proceeded  to  climb 
the  stair,  flight  after  flight,  till  finally  he  reached  a 
garret  on  a  level  with  the  roof. 

Here  he  was  not  unexpected,  for  the  door  im- 


118  VALENTINO. 

mediately  opened,  revealing  the  form  and  features 
of  the  dwarf  Pulcio,  who  bowed  him  ceremoniously 
in,  addressing  him  with  obsequious  words  as  Sig- 
nor  Oliverotto.  The  latter  cut  short  his  phrases. 

"Supper,  master  fool,  and  quickly — I  must  be 
gone  to-night.  Serve  me  bread  and  meat  and  a 
flask  to  drink,  and  let  us  talk  the  while — I  have  a 
weighty  matter  to  trust  to  that  big  head  which  has 
never  failed  me  yet,  and  great  haste  presses." 

Five  minutes  later  a  plate  of  cold  mutton,  a  loaf 
of  coarse  bread  and  a  terra-cotta  jug  of  vino  nero 
were  placed  on  a  table  at  which  he  seated  himself. 

"  I  have  been  discovered,"  he  began  sullenly. 
"  I  can  venture  nothing  more.  My  men  will  be  on 
the  alert  presently — an  hour  hence  we  shall  mount 
together  and  make  our  way  towards  the  Apennines. 
When  I  am  gone,  Pulcio,  give  a  message  to  Giulia 
Farnese,  but  for  life's  sake  breathe  not  my  name ; 
speak  of  me  as  Yallon  d'Avrees,  she  knows  me  as 
such  only." 

He  interrupted  his  discourse  to  apply  himself  to 
the  viands  with  the  appetite  of  vigorous  manhood 
half-famished,  and  continued — 

"  Tell  her  I  am  called  far  hence  by  duty  and  am 
banished  from  Rome  by  a  danger  she  understands. 
Say  that  for  the  present  I  can  be  of  no  service,  but 
urge  her  to  remove  the  lady  of  Este  from  the  Vati- 
can. But  hearken :  I  know  not  to  what  malice  or 
violence  she  may  go,  and  therefore  I  charge  you, 


ORMES.  119 

Pulcio,  as  you  value  my  favor,  or  as  your  hate  of 
Borgia  is  still  quick — look  to  it  that  no  ill  comes  to 
the  girl." 

The  dwarf  assented  in  silence  ;  Oliverotto  quaffed 
deeply  from  the  jug,  and  gathering  his  cloak  and 
his  rapier  in  one  arm  and  taking  his  lighted  wax 
taper,  nodded  addio  to  his  humble  friend  and  felt 
his  way  down  the  winding  stairs  till  the  listening 
dwarf  heard  his  steps  grow  fainter,  fainter,  and 
finally  cease. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

URBINO. 

FOLLOWED  by  an  escort  of  two  hundred  horse, 
Cesare  had  passed  the  defiles  of  the  Umbrian 
Apennines,  and  approached  the  town  of  Fossom- 
brone,  whither  he  had  summoned  two  of  his  lieu- 
tenants with  the  forces  at  their  command.  He 
had  ridden  nine  hours  daily  in  the  midst  of  his 
clattering  cavalcade,  over  steep  and  narrow  moun- 
tain roads.  By  night  they  halted  at  some  con- 
venient town — none  durst  refuse  the  formidable 
Valentino— where  his  men  made  shift  as  best  they 
might,  the  townspeople  thinking  themselves  fort- 
unate if  nothing  worse  than  equivocal  thanks 
were  the  return  for  food  and  shelter. 

Riding  at  Borgia's  side  by  day  and  sharing  his 
frugal  refreshment  at  twilight,  was  Don  Michele, 
and  often  they  talked  together  in  Spanish,  uncom- 
prehended  by  their  followers,  beguiling  thus  with 
the  thoughts  and  interests  that  preoccupied  them, 
the  tedium  of  the  long  hours. 

The  situation  in  Eomagna,  and  the  last  cam- 
paign in  the  Marches,  which  were  mainly  the 


URBINO.  121 

subjects  of  their  desultory  talk,  deserve  some  re- 
trospective notice. 

In  November,  1499,  Borgia,  with  a  ravenous 
army  composed  of  French,  commanded  by  Ives 
d'Allegre,  of  Swiss  under  Baron  Herbsch,  and  of 
Italian  mercenaries  led  by  the  veterans  Vitellozzo 
Vitelli,  Pagolo  Orsini,  the  Duke  of  Gravina,  and 
Oliverotto  da  Fermo,  had  appeared  from  Milan  on 
the  northern  horizon  of  the  triangle  between  the 
Primaro,  the  Apennines,  and  the  Adriatic;  the 
eight  or  nine  principalities  occupying  this  space 
were  unequal  to  successful  resistance,  even  had 
not  the  feuds  of  years  prevented  mutual  support. 
A  declaration  of  hostilities  was  no  more  awaited 
than  is  a  bugle  note  of  warning  looked  for  from 
the  midnight  robber.  The  lords  of  Rimini  and 
Pesaro  fled ;  the  garrison  of  Forli  surrendered 
after  an  heroic  defence  by  Caterina  Sforza;  Fa- 
enza  fell  after  five  months'  siege,  and  Imola 
yielded  without  a  blow.  Valentino  wisely  halted 
to  cement  these  conquests. 

He  had  been  forbidden  by  Louis  XH.  of  France 
to  conquer  Bologna,  whose  confines  he  had  ap- 
proached. He,  however,  exacted  tribute  and  a 
couple  of  outlying  castles  from  Bentivoglio,  to 
whom  in  return  he  betrayed  his  negotiations  with 
the  Marescotti  family,  the  staunch  supporters  of 
their  prince.  Bentivoglio  caused  the  gates  of 
Bologna  to  be  closed,  and  butchered  Agamemnon 
6 


122  VALENTINO. 

Marescotti  and  thirty-four  of  his  sons,  daughters, 
brothers,  and  other  relatives. 

Meanwhile  Kamiro  d'Orco,  a  man  of  merciless 
traits,  was  made  governor  of  Romagna  with  un- 
limited authority,  and  with  instructions  to  sup- 
press the  brigandage  of  a  swarm  of  freebooters 
who  under  the  weak-handed  princelings  had  plun- 
dered unresisted,  and  to  establish  in  each  town  a 
potesta  for  a  semblance  of  equity  in  place  of  re- 
prisals. The  towns  received  prescribed  adminis- 
tration which,  however  crude,  was  an  improve- 
ment upon  the  vagaries  of  seigneurial  authority. 
Life  and  property  began  to  be  safe,  and  the  popu- 
lation turned  to  Borgia  with  a  wondering  admiration 
unusual  in  the  sentiments  of  the  ruled  of  that  day. 

In  the  substitution  of  one  petty  tyrant  for  an- 
other during  the  middle  ages,  one  general  conse- 
quence was  assured  to  the  people — that  their 
condition  would  be  nowise  bettered.  One  prince 
might  have  vices  that  another  escaped ;  if  one 
plundered  his  subjects,  the  warlike  ardors  of  the 
next  brought  siege  and  famine.  The  redeeming 
feature  of  the  minor  Italian  despots  is  their  en- 
couragement of  the  arts  and  of  such  learning  as 
existed  outside  the  Church.  All  were  ready  to  re- 
ward poets,  painters,  musicians,  architects,  through 
whose  creations  some  veiling  of  oblivion  might  be 
cast  over  the  sanguinary  footsteps  that  often  had 
led  to  power. 


URBINO.  123 

Borgia  had  conceived  the  wider  aspiration  of 
a  state  similar  to  that  of  the  Sforza  in  Lombardy, 
of  the  Medici  in  Tuscany — a  dukedom,  not  a  fief ; 
and  while  maturing  the  military  and  physical  de- 
tails of  his  undertaking,  he  had  made  ready  that 
best  apology  of  an  usurper — a  government  com- 
mending itself  to  the  governed. 

The  complications  of  Italian  politics,  the  intri- 
cate web  of  many  jealous  states,  the  duplicity  of 
all,  the  rich  reward  of  success,  the  certainty  of 
extraordinary  chances  where  all  was  fluctuating, 
made  the  arena  upon  which  Valentino  had  entered 
one  of  vast  possibilities. 

Between  French  and  Spanish  invasions,  Naples 
lay  prostrate,  and  for  an  hour  he  had  dreamed 
the  possession  of  its  crown.  From  the  Vatican 
spread  ramifications  that  covered  half  of  Europe. 
In  the  north  three  republics — Venice,  Milan,  Flor- 
ence— had  balanced  one  another  for  two  centuries ; 
to-day  the  power  of  St.  Marc  was  drained  by  in- 
terminable conflicts  with  the  Turk,  following  wars 
which  had  ruined  the  rival  republic  of  Genoa.  At 
Milan,  Ludovico  Sforza  had,  with  the  hand  of  a 
master  genius,  doubled  the  power  and  possessions 
of  his  predecessors,  but  his  stately  structure  had 
fallen  before  the  French  invasion.  At  Florence  the 
successors  of  the  unwarlike  Medici  were  absorbed 
by  the  agitations  of  internal  feuds. 

In  the  reorganization  of  his  forces,  Cesare  re- 


124  VALENTINO. 

turned  to  his  father  the  Swiss  mercenaries.  He 
placed  his  Spanish  relative  Candale  in  command 
of  a  camp  at  Imola,  where  commenced  the  assem- 
bling of  lances  brisees,  as  were  called  itinerant 
knights  with  a  dozen  men  at  arms  behind  them. 
The  French  under  their  accomplished  commander, 
Ives  d'Allegre,  he  dismissed. 

The  Italian  condottieri  under  Vitellozzo,  Gra- 
vina,  Orsini  and  Oliverotto,  were  cantoned  in 
momentary  inactivity,  and  it  was  during  this  ab- 
sence of  occupation  that  their  chiefs  had  sought 
to  realize  their  furtive  purposes,  each  aiming  at 
the  acquisition  of  a  scrap  of  territory  round  some 
village,  a  title  in  prospective,  gold,  and  the  smiles 
of  fair  women.  Vitellozzo,  from  his  tenure  at 
Citta  di  Castello,  meditated  a  swoop  upon  the 
Tuscan  border.  Oliverotto,  bivouacked  with  his 
men  at  Fossombrone,  cast  envious  glances  at 
Fermo,  where  his  uncle  ruled — his  uncle  who  had 
reared  him  in  youth  and  had  sent  him  forth  in 
manhood  with  wealth  and  training.  The  Orsini 
brothers  were  ever  busy  upon  the  advancement  of 
their  family,  then  as  for  centuries  at  permanent 
strife  with  the  Colonna,  and  in  occasional  differ- 
ence or  in  desultory  service  with  the  reigning 
Pope. 

At  the  head  of  their  weather-stained  escort,  Ce- 
sare  and  Don  Michele  emerged  from  the  defile  of 


URBINO.  125 

Acqualagna  and  rode  downward  into  the  plain. 
Some  miles  to  the  front  could  be  discerned  their 
destination ;  to  the  left  at  a  greater  distance  lay 
Urbino ;  here  and  there  a  house  dotted  the  fields, 
but  on  approaching  these  habitations  of  more 
peaceful  years,  it  was  usually  found  that  their  oc- 
cupants had  abandoned  such  defenceless  abodes. 

"  There  is  smoke  rising  from  that  chimney  yon- 
der," observed  Cesare,  "yet  it  seems  much  this 
side  of  Fossombrone." 

"It  is  an  inn  outside  the  town — one  at  which 
we  might  fare  well  to-night,"  answered  Miche- 
lotto. 

"  You  have  had  enough  of  our  mountain  fare  ?  " 

"  In  truth  yes ;  likely  we  shall  find  Vitellozzo 
thereabouts —the  montepulciano  is  excellent." 

The  signal  to  trot  was  given  and  the  long  calva- 
cade,  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  their  halting  place, 
started  briskly  forward. 

Don  Michele  was  right  in  surmising  that  Vitel- 
lozzo would  be  found  near  the  fountain  of  good 
wine.  At  an  earlier  hour  in  the  afternoon  he  and 
Oliverotto,  in  whom  the  reader  may  presently 
recognize  the  assumed  Vallon  d'Avrees,  had  ridden 
from  the  bivouac  of  their  respective  regiments  to 
dine  at  the  trattoria  Abbiategrasso,  where  they  had 
invited  to  meet  them  their  colleagues  Kamiro 
d'Orco  and  Candale.  A  messenger  had  brought 
word  that  the  duke  would  arrive  towards  twilight, 


126  VALENTINO. 

and  his  chief  lieutenants  might  thus  be  conven- 
iently placed  to  meet  him  before  the  city  posts,  at 
the  same  time  that  their  waiting  need  not  be 
wholly  vain. 

The  host,  a  portly,  red-faced,  good-humored 
looking  man,  received  them  at  the  door,  while 
some  stable  boys  ran  out  to  take  their  horses. 

"  Keep  that  beast  out  of  the  air,"  ordered  the 
burly  Vitellozzo,  "  and  mind  the  range  of  his  heels  ; 
he  broke  a  man's  leg  yesterday." 

"  Good  Tomaso,"  began  his  companion,  tapping 
the  tavern-keeper  on  the  shoulder,  "  Vitellozzo  is 
starved  with  the  short  commons  of  the  town,  and  I 
am  jaded  and  famished  after  three  days  in  the 
saddle :  we  are  come  to  have  one  of  the  old- 
fashioned  dinners,  and  two  others  will  be  here 
anon,  one  is  Candale  —  he  that  will  not  eat 
onions  and  wants  his  meat  well  cooked  —  you 
remember?" 

"  He  is  already  here,  and  Master  Ramiro  d'Orco 
with  him.  But  prithee,  signor,  if  you  would  have 
the  old-fashioned  dinners,  you  must  give  me  back 
the  old-fashioned  days.  I  cannot  keep  a  cow  or  a 
pig  or  a  chicken  for  the  marauders,  and  this  very 
morning  a  couple  of  officers  of  your  corps  eat  out 
my  larder,  drank  two  cans  o'  wine  each,  and  went 
off  without  leaving  me  a  florin :  they  had  but  a 
trifle  of  silver,  they  said,  and  that  appetite  waits 
not  for  arrears  of  pay." 


URBINO.  127 

"  Never  fear,"  interposed  Vitellozzo,  "  I  will 
make  good  their  score.  Ah,  Ramiro ! "  he  exclaimed, 
as  a  familiar  form  appeared ;  and  they  all  entered 
the  dingy  eating-room  from  which  the  kitchen 
opened.  The  walls  were  wainscoted  to  the  height 
of  the  shoulder,  and  on  the  spaces  above  were 
grouped  trophies  of  the  chase.  Near  the  door  were 
ranged  mugs,  goblets  and  runlets  of  wine,  and  rows 
of  the  wicker-covered  glass  fiaschi  which  were  set 
before  the  guests.  Four  tables  and  some  wooden 
chairs  occupied  the  centre,  and  from  the  raftered 
ceiling  depended  oil  lamps,  which  a  sandy-headed 
youth  had  just  lighted  ;  for  already,  though  barely 
three  hours  past  the  meridian,  that  sombre  little 
room  with  its  dark  walls  and  narrow,  diamond- 
paned  windows,  grew  murky. 

Ramiro  d'Orco  was  Governor-General  of  Cesare 
Borgia's  newly  acquired  Duchy  of  Romagna.  Of 
robust  frame,  his  physique  betrayed  but  slight  ev- 
idence of  those  fatigues  and  hardships  of  arms 
which  had  been  the  habit  of  his  life  for  twenty 
years.  Only  a  tinge  of  gray  through  the  close- 
cropped  hair,  and  now  and  then  the  listless  look  of 
one  who  has  grown  weary  with  watching,  and  with 
the  alerts  and  surprises  of  campaigning,  gave  token 
that  the  prime  had  passed.  His  dress  was  a  peaked 
cap,  a  tunic  of  blue  serge,  stout  riding  breeches, 
and  undressed  leather  boots. 

At  one  of  the  tables  sat  a  pale,  thoughtful-faced 


128  VALENTINO. 

man,  who  had  laid  his  helmet  and  sword  before 
him,  and  who  now  rose  to  greet  his  comrades.  He 
shook  Vitellozzo  and  Oliverotto  by  the  hand,  and 
in  a  discouraged  way  remarked  : 

"  He  has  no  fish." 

"No  fish,"  said  Vitellozzo,  in  a  humorously 
sympathetic  tone ;  "that  is  sad,  but  I  fear  there  is 
worse  to  be  told  :  it  appears  the  larder  is  empty — 
did  I  so  understand  you  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to 
the  waiting  padrone. 

Before  the  latter  could  utter  the  lie  his  lips  were 
framing,  Bamiro  interrupted, 

"  Empty,  then  why  a  slow  fire  in  the  kitchen?  " 

"  My  masters,"  answered  the  innkeeper,"  there  is 
a  broth  of  herbs  simmering,  which  with  crusts  of 
bread  will  be  the  first  meal  of  my  household  since 
last  night's  supper." 

"Your  broth  of  herbs  gives  out  a  smell  of  meat," 
rejoined  Ramiro. 

"  Meat !  "  ejaculated  Oliverotto ;  "  if  thou  hast 
meat  and  refuse  it  to  us — 

"  My  noble  patrons,"  broke  in  the  host,  yielding 
to  the  pressure  of  men  who  however  stolidly  good- 
natured  at  one  moment,  might,  if  angered,  think  it 
sport  to  slit  his  ears  the  next,  "  I  have  too  long 
the  habit  of  truth  to  speak  a  falsehood  glibly,  and 
my  heart  bids  me  give  you  my  best.  But  the  little 
that  remains  has  been  ordered  for  the  Duke  of 
Eomagna,  who  is  even  now  on  his  way  here,  and 


URBINO.  129 

who  a  courier  said  would  likely  sup  at  Abbiate- 
grasso." 

"  I  care  not,"  answered  Vitellozzo,  "  if  two  dukes 
are  coming  ;  say  what  thou  hast  and  serve 
quickly." 

"  I  can  give  you,"  stammered  Tomaso,  "  the  beef 
broth  of  the  house,  after  that  cabobs,  and  cheese 
and  wine  as  you  will." 

"  Son  of  a  Jew,  why  didst  not  thou  say  so  at 
once." 

"  After  my  experience  this  morning " 

"  Dull  knave,  thou  shouldst  have  known  us 
better.  But  haste,  bestir  thyself,  lose  not  a 
minute,  and  while  we  wait,  serve  wine  ; — diavolo  ! 
to  think  it  need  so  much  talking  to  order  a  meal. 
It  should  be  good  after  such  lengthy  discourse." 

"No,"  objected  Candale,  "more  words,  poorer 
fare.  The  best  dinners  I  ever  had  were  at  a  con- 
vent in  Madrid,  where  I  went  on  Sundays ;  the  cook 
was  deaf,  and  the  Superior  dumb — Madre  Dolo- 
rosa !  what  a  podrida  they  made." 

"  Come,  let  us  be  seated,"  said  Vitellozzo,  un- 
buckling his  belt  with  a  fat  man's  gasp  of  relief. 
"  Ramiro,  you  look  hungry,  and  you,  Candale,  seem 
out  of  sorts.  Let  us  drink,  my  friends,"  he  added, 
as  wine,  and  a  dish  covered  with  sausage,  salt  fish, 
and  olives — the  modern  antepasto — were  set  before 
them.  "  Let  us  'drink — stay — what  was  that  toast 
of  Gravina's?  " 
6* 


130  VALENTINO. 

"  I  remember  it,"  interposed  Candale  : 

"  '  Drink  to  the  present,  oh  my  lips  ! 
Drink  to  my  love,  oh  my  heart! 
Drink  to  the  future,  oh  my  soul  ! ' 

"A  man  is  not  thirsty  when  he  has  so  much  to 
say  with  a  glass  in  his  hand,"  remarked  Oliverotto, 
as  he  drained  the  big  mug  which  he  had  selected 
from  the  vessels  beside  the  door. 

"On  the  contrary,"  rejoined  Ramiro,  "he  must 
have  a  bucket  the  size  of  that  cup  of  thine  to 
pledge  to  so  many  things  at  once.  The  present, 
my  love,  and  the  future — what  is  there  beside?  " 

"  Leisure  to  stretch  one's  legs  when  weary,  and 
a  fire  to  toast  one's  feet  after  galloping  day  and 
night  in  the  wet  and  losing  one's  way  in  these 
trackless  Apennines,"  answered  Oliverotto. 

"  You  talk  as  connoisseurs,"  observed  Vitellozzo, 
refilling  his  goblet.  "  You,  Ramiro,  have  been  in 
the  mountains ;  you  might  have  quenched  your 
thirst  there — I  have  heard  the  Barolo  is  so  ex- 
quisite among  the  Tuscan  hills  it  will  drown  all 
the  cobwebs  out  of  one's  memory." 

"  So  will  any  wine  if  you  take  enough." 

"No,"  again  demurred  Candale,  "I  am  often 
triste  over  a  bottle." 

"  That  is  because  your  chronic  melancholy  sours 
the  wine  to  weak  vinegar." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  in  the  mountains  ?  " 
asked  Oliverotto,  filling  his  mouth  with  sausage. 


URBINO  131 

"There  were  some  men  in  the  woods  who 
dodged  the  patrol,  and  word  being  brought  of  their 
whereabouts,  I  took  a  troop  of  Gravina's  horse 
and  came  upon  them." 

"  Half  starved,"  interrupted  Yitellozzo. 

"  Not  so  starved  as  I  am  now ;  the  rogues  had  a 
shelter  against  a  rock,  covered  in  with  trees,  a  fire 
to  hang  a  kettle  on,  a  couple  of  tuns  of  wine  and  a 
score  of  pigs  and  sheep  in  a  pen  near  by." 

"  You  roasted  them  out  ?  " 

"  We  expected  to  surprise  them,  but  they  got 
the  alarm,  and  some  held  a  defile  long  enough  for 
the  rest  to  slip  off,  and  though  we  followed,  it  was 
only  to  exchange  shots." 

Tomaso  and  his  tow-headed  assistant  now  set 
before  each  guest  a  bowl  of  broth  scalding  hot, 
with  floating  scraps  of  carrots,  potatoes  and  poma- 
dori.  As  Oliverotto  remarked,  nothing  artistic,  but 
it  went  to  the  right  place.  The  cabobs  that  fol- 
lowed are  remembered  by  every  howadji  as  bits  of 
roasted  mutton  on  a  wooden  skewer,  with  alter- 
nate slips  of  onions.  They  were  first  introduced 
in  Europe  by  Crusaders  returning  from  the  siege 
of  Askalon,  where  perhaps  the  knights  learned  to 
cook  them  in  the  course  of  dalliances  which  were 
a  subject  of  contemporary  reproach. 

"  I  hear  you  feasted  mightily  at  Urbino  the 
other  day  when  the  Ferrarese  passed  through," 
remarked  Oliverotto  to  Eamiro,  "  and  that  to  divert 


132  VALENTINO. 

the  ladies,  Guidobaldo  opened  some  old  tombs  in 
search  of  Etruscan  treasure ;  found  you  aught 
better  than  pea-green  jewels  of  bronze  ?  " 

"  Nay,  'twas  but  one  tomb  opened  the  morning 
the  cortege  left,  though  in  faith  it  bore  marks  of 
having  been  broken  into  before.  Jewels  there 
were  none — a  terra  cotta  urn  containing  ashes,  and 
beside  it,  fragments  of  Eoman  armor — and  on  a 
stone  shelf  a  short  thick  trumpet  with  a  twist  to 
it.  The  only  metal  I  have  ever  seen  taken  in  good 
preservation  from  a  columbarium." 

"  'Twas  the  sepulchre  of  a  legionary  bugler," 
remarked  Vitellozzo. 

"  Doubtless,"  assented  Kamiro,  "  and  the  instant 
Donna  Lucretia  spied  it,  she  clapped  her  hands, 
and  cried — a  blast!  Blow  me  a  blast  upon  that 
ancient  bugle  and  awake  the  echoes  of  a  thousand 
years  ago !  " 

"  Ha !  a  droll  conceit,"  laughed  the  triste  Can- 
dale  ;  " and  could  you  produce  a  tuneful  strain?" 

"  Not  a  sound,  for  the  breath,  so  to  speak,  was 
out  of  its  body,  and  one  might  as  reasonably  have 
looked  to  hear  a  dead  bird  sing." 

In  addition  to  cabobs,  there  were  two  other 
dishes  in  good  repute  at  the  osteria  of  Abbiate- 
grasso,  one  of  minced  chicken  rolled  in  cabbage 
leaves,  the  other  of  pigs'  feet  wrapped  in  sausage 
and  overlaid  with  a  white  and  yellow  blanket  of 
fried  eggs.  For  the  absence  of  these,  Tomaso 


URBINO.  133 

excused  himself,  and  as  he  placed  a  gorgonzola 
cheese  before  them  with  six  more  of  wine,  the 
convives  were  sufficiently  solaced  to  forgive  what 
could  not  be  helped.  Ramiro  settled  himself 
comfortably  in  his  chair  as  one  who  has  disposed 
of  the  weightier  fatigues  of  dinner,  and  remarked 
with  the  pompousness  attending  the  exhilaration 
of  meat  and  wine, 

"This  gorgelet  Don  Ferrante  gave  me  looked 
small  enough  when  first  I  saw  it,  but  after  one 
has  well  eaten,  it  weighs  heavier  than  unforgiven 
sin." 

"  What  then  would  have  been  thy  lot  had  he 
given  thee  a  whole  suit  of  mail  ?  "  asked  Oliverotto. 

"  Or  a  rapier  like  this  he  gave  me  ? "  said  Can- 
dale,  drawing  to  him  with  evident  pride  a  basket- 
handled  weapon  of  fine  workmanship. 

"  And  did  he  give  thee  with  it  that  cut  on  thy 
cheek?" 

"  That  is  the  foolery  of  a  French  fencing-master 
Ives  d'Allegre  brought  with  him ;  he  fell  ill  of 
fever,  was  sent  back  to  us  at  Faenza,  where  I  had 
him  somewhat  cared  for.  The  fellow  came  to  me 
a  week  ago  and  said  I  had  saved  his  life,  and  that 
in  return  he  would  teach  me  a  sword  stroke  which 
in  emergency  might  guard  mine  ;  a  great  secret,  he 
said — I  believe  the  fellow  was  half  delirious  yet — 
and  it  proved  a  secret  I  failed  to  fathom,  for  with  all 
his  talk  and  crossing  of  swords,  I  could  discover 


134  VALENTINO. 

nothing  but  a  feint  and  legamento,  and  when  his 
blade  grazed  my  face,  I  went  at  the  chattering 
rogue  and  gave  him  a  thrust  that  has  sent  him 
back  to  bed  again." 

"D'Allegre  will  not  thank  you  for  that;  he 
treats  his  maitres  d'armes  like  brothers." 

''What  has  become  of  d'Allegre?"  asked  Oli- 
verotto. 

"  Facing  the  Spaniards  somewhere  in  the  Abruzzi, 
while  recovering  from  the  effects  of  the  oysters  of 
Fusano.  He  said  oysters  were  either  very  good  or 
very  bad ;  at  Putzuoli  he  eat  six  dozen  one  morn- 
ing, pronouncing  them  the  finest  in  the  world. 
He  spent  three  days  in  his  tent  afterwards,  and 
now  he  thinks  all  oysters  bad — especially  those  of 
Fusano." 

"  Did  he  ever  tell  you  of  that  queer  notion  he  has 
on  moonlight  nights  in  winter  when  snow  lies  on 
the  ground  ?  " 

"  No  ;  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  He  and  I  were  in  the  trenches  before  Faenza — 
you  remember  how  deep  the  snow  lay.  One  night 
we  walked  together  beyond  our  outposts  to  scan 
the  walls.  He  remained  at  the  red  bastion  we 
afterwards  carried,  while  I  moved  cautiously  along 
the  counterscarp.  It  was  starlight,  but  one  could 
discern  little.  Suddenly  the  moon  came  through 
a  rift  in  the  clouds,  and  at  that  instant  d'Allegre 
fired  his  musquetoon.  I  ran  back  and  found  him 


URBINO.  135 

spellbound  looking  into  the  ditch.  He  and  a 
sentry  on  the  wall  had  discovered  each  other  and 
fired ;  the  soldier's  cross-bow  shaft  glanced  from  the 
steel  corselet — d'Allegre's  bullet  crushed  through 
his  nose  and  brain,  and  he  tumbled  into  the  ditch 
and  lay  there  on  his  back  in  the  snow,  with  the 
moonlight  full  on  his  face,  and  the  blood  gurgling 
up  with  a  gasping  noise.  I  dragged  d'Allegre 
away — it  was  time,  for  steps  came  hurrying  along 
the  rampart ;  the  moon  disappeared,  all  grew  dark 
again,  and  we  regained  our  lines." 

"  Nothing  remarkable  in  that,"  observed  Bamiro, 
as  the  narrator  paused  to  drain  his  cup. 

"  But  the  curious  thing,"  resumed  Oliverotto, 
"  is  that  every  clear  moonlight  night  since  then,  in 
winter,  if  snow  lie  on  the  ground,  d'Allgere  hears 
behind  him  the  gasping  and  gurgling  of  that  dying 
man." 

"An  unpleasant  companionship,"  rejoined  Ra- 
miro,  laughing ;  "  such  is  the  cost  of  killing  men 
unshriven." 

"  Methinks,"  interposed  Candale,  "you  will  need 
a  prettier  story  than  that  when  Valentino  asks 
where  you  have  been  this  last  fortnight,  and  what 
all  these  mysterious  absences  are  for.  Pedro  de 
Castro  came  from  your  camp  a  week  ago,  and  found 
that  your  officers  knew  neither  your  whereabouts, 
nor  when  you  should  return." 

"I  was  in  search  of  two  valuable  things,"  an- 


136  VALENTINO. 

swered  Oliverotto  without  hesitation,  "  recruits 
and  information ;  when  Valentino  teaches  me  to 
do  without  them,  I  will  leave  camp  no  more." 

As  he  spoke,  Tomaso  announced  a  numerous 
company  debouching  from  the  hills. 

"To  horse,  then,"  exclaimed  Vitellozzo,  in  his 
haste  almost  forgetting  to  pay  for  their  repast,  a 
circumstance  of  which  his  attentive  host  softly 
reminded  him. 

The  officers  rode  forward,  followed  by  a  troop 
which  had  waited  near  by.  Cesare,  at  meeting, 
greeted  them  with  a  pleasant  smile,  shook  hands 
familiarly  with  each,  and  said, 

"Let  us  to  some  place  where  we  can  talk  an 
hour  undisturbed." 

"  Suppose  we  sup  at  Abbiategrasso ;  we  can  talk 
as  well  there  as  in  one  of  your  bivouacs  and  eat 
better,"  said  Don  Michele,  addressing  the  condot- 
tieri. 

"Alas,"  sftid  Oliverotto,  "we  come  thence,  and 
both  cellar  and  larder  have  been  cleared." 

A  twinkle  came  in  Vitellozzo's  eye  as  he  added, 
"Poor  Tomaso  told  us  he  had  only  a  pottage  of 
herbs  left  for  himself." 

"  For  the  first  time  I  came  thirsty  from  Abbiate- 
grasso," said  Eamiro,  who  in  summer  required  half 
a  barrel  to  cool,  and  in  winter  rather  more  to  warm 
him. 

"  We  will  go  to  a  house  behind  the  potesta,"  said 


URBINO.  137 

Cesare,  more  intent  on  business  than  supper ;  "  no 
matter  that  it  be  a  Jew's." 

Their  stormy  summons  brought  the  terrified 
Israelite  in  view  of  the  officers  and  their  retinue 
thronging  at  his  door.  He  was  brushed  aside  with 
a  mocking  word,  and  while  Cesare  and  his  lieuten- 
ants seated  themselves  in  an  upper  room,which  gave 
token  of  the  former  affluence  of  its  master,  Don 
Michele  ordered  the  house  searched  from  cellar 
to  attic  for  whatever  provisions  might  be  hidden. 

"  Vitellozzo,"  began  Cesare,  as  he  removed  his 
weightier  accoutrements,  "I  am  stiff  from  the 
saddle ;  let  us  speak  briefly ;  is  your  regiment  all 
here?" 

"Two  thousand  foot,  five  hundred  horses,  and 
four  cannon." 

"And  yours,  Oliverotto  ?  " 

"  Ready  in  all  but  cannon.  Candale  took  my 
six  guns  to  Imola  upon  your  order.  That  leaves 
me  fifteen  hundred  horse  and  foot." 

"  Force  abundant,  and  to  remedy  our  deficiency 
in  material,  I  intend  to  ask  from  the  lord  of  Urbino 
the  loan  of  his  artillery  train,  which  is  said  to  be 
admirable,  and  for  which  he  can  have  at  present  no 
use." 

The  officers  glanced  significantly  at  one  another 
at  the  thought  of  so  novel  a  mode  of  campaigning. 

"  You,  Candale,  will  go  to-morrow  and  make  the 
request  of  him." 


138  VALENTINO. 

"  And  say  lie  will  be  repaid  for  the  favor,"  added 
Don  Michele. 

"And  if  the  wolf  object  to  take  the  fangs  from  his 
jaws?" 

"  Then  use  no  more  persuasion  than  to  say  we 
had  supposed  him  a  good  neighbor.  And  now, 
Oliverotto,  tell  me  why  you  are  absent  so  much 
and  so  often." 

"  Signer  Duca,  I  have  no  excuse  to  make  for  be- 
ing my  own  master.  Like  you,  I  come  and  go  as  I 
please.  I  serve  you — here  at  your  command  I 
stand ;  but  I  am  above  the  sentry  that  beats  twelve 
paces  of  turf."  And  so  saying,  he  bowed  slightly, 
and  accompanied  by  Yitellozzo,  who  had  listened 
to  this  declaration  with  half-concealed  satisfaction, 
he  left  the  room. 

Valentino  made  no  reply,  and  answered  not  the 
salutation.  He  cast  after  the  speaker  a  long,  steady, 
impassive  look,  and  then  turning  about,  busied 
himself  through  the  ensuing  hour  with  Candale  and 
Ramiro,  questioning  them  upon  the  new  levies  at 
Imola,  the  state  of  the  towns,  the  schemes  of  the 
Orsini,  the  ambitions  of  the  generals  who  had  just 
departed,  the  supplies  and  munitions  for  the  troops 
— and  listened,  while  Don  Michele,  weary  to  ex- 
haustion, dropped  asleep. 

Day  broke  radiantly  above  the  broad  stretch  of 
green  between  the  Adriatic  and  the  Apennines  as 


URBINO.  139 

Fossombrone  awakened  from  its  slumber.  The  sun 
touched  the  sombre  winter  foliage  and  flushed  the 
mountain  crags  with  rose  and  gold.  The  great  gray 
cattle  gazed  with  solemn  eyes  across  their  pastures; 
the  crows  flew  straight  to  some  far  destination; 
the  breeze  swelled  up  from  the  sea  and  set  the  tree- 
tops  rustling.  Already  the  troops  were  astir  with 
buckling  on  of  harness  and  trumpet  note  and  the  roll 
of  drums  which  Christendom  had  borrowed  from  the 
Turk. 

Borgia  inspected  men,  arms,  accoutrements,  am- 
munition, with  minuteness,  passing  round  each 
phalanx  of  pikemen,  scanning  the  troopers  and  no 
less  the  steeds,  the  companies  of  cross-bowmen,  the 
battalion  of  archers,  the  little  squads  that  stood 
about  Vitellozzo's  four  small,  long-barrelled  can- 
nons, the  flags  and  guidons  that  fluttered  above  the 
hard,  weather-browned  faces. 

Guidobaldo  of  Urbino  listened  with  alarm  to 
Candale's  message.  He  possessed  twenty  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  these  he  was  asked  to  lend  to  one 
whom  no  man  trusted.  True,  there  was  no  shadow 
between  them  ;  moreover,  to  refuse  might  be  more 
dangerous  than  to  consent. 

"  It  was,"  said  Candale  in  a  blunt  yet  plausible 
way,  "  to  aid  a  meditated  stroke  of  rich  promise ; 
the  cannons  possessed  by  Valentino  were  inferior ; 
a  recompense  should  not  fail."  He  returned  to 
Fossombrone  with  the  reluctant  promise  that 


140  VALENTINO. 

the  guns  should  be  delivered  on  the  following 
day. 

Before  the  next  day's  noon,  Valentino's  troops 
marched  from  Fossombrone,  cavalry  first,  archers 
and  cross-bowmen  next,  lastly  the  long  files  of  pike- 
men,  four  by  four.  Cesare  watched  them  defile  as 
Candale  approached. 

"  We  have  but  one  armorers'  train,"  he  said,  as 
two  heavy  wagons  passed,  followed  by  smiths  and 
mechanics ;  "  in  the  Spanish  service  there  is  one 
for  every  thousand  men.  Set  out  at  once  for 
Imola — Eamiro  will  be  off  in  three  hours  with  an 
escort ;  you  can  go  with  him — take  the  first  wagons 
you  find,  fit  out  three  trains  with  men,  forge  and 
tools  complete." 

Cesare  and  Don  Michele  put  their  horses  to  a 
canter  and  gained  the  head  of  the  column,  now  but 
a  couple  of  miles  from  Urbino.  The  troops  were 
ordered  to  move  across  the  fields  through  copses 
which  screened  their  approach.  The  city  walls 
rose  clear  in  view,  gray  and  dun-colored,  with 
towers  and  battlemented  ramparts  in  picturesque 
grouping.  The  cavalry  drew  up  behind  Miche- 
lotto ;  an  adjacent  wood  filled  with  archers,  the 
pikemen  were  formed  to  the  left  out  of  sight. 

It  was  past  the  hour  for  the  delivery  of  the  guns, 
and  many  a  face  among  Valentino's  officers  peered 
watchfully  at  the  closed  gate  ;  even  Cesare  toyed 


URBINO.  141 

impatiently  with  his  reins.  Vitellozzo  and  Olive- 
rotto  drew  to  his  side,  the  latter  reiterating, 

"  No  guns  will  come ;  the  duke  has  sent  to 
Venice  for  rescue ;  meanwhile  he  will  hold  his 
walls — how  he  must  have  laughed  at  Candale." 

As  he  spoke,  a  platoon  of  horsemen  appeared  at 
the  gate,  and  after  them,  distinctly  visible  as  they 
wheeled  down  an  incline,  came  the  cannon — twenty 
they  counted,  six  small  guns  and  fourteen  lumber- 
ing pieces. 

Cesare  turned  with  a  savagely  exultant  expression 
on  his  pale  face. 

" Michelotto,"  said  he,  "take  the  cavalry  and 
close  in  behind  when  they  enter  yonder  defile. 
Vitellozzo,  place  a  line  of  men  on  this  ridge ;  and 
you,  Oliverotto,  when  you  see  the  moment,  dash 
in  among  them  with  your  archers." 

An  interval  of  suspense  ensued.  Slowly  the 
drivers  advanced.  There  was  but  an  officer's  escort 
before  them,  but  suddenly  a  column  of  cavalry 
trotted  into  view  and  circled  round.  They  halted 
mechanically,  stood  gazing  upon  the  trap  which 
had  closed,  and  their  leader,  who  wore  a  white 
cloak,  let  it  fall.  At  the  same  instant  Vitellozzo's 
halberdiers  appeared  while  Oliverotto  and  a  cloud 
of  archers  sprang  upon  the  guns. 

Cesare  advanced,  caused  them  to  be  disarmed, 
and  addressed  himself  to  their  officer. 

"  Capitano,  you  are  at  liberty  upon  the  small 


142  VALENTINO. 

condition  that  you  retrace  your  steps  and  announce 
to  the  duke  that  in  one  hour  I  cannonade  the  town." 

The  officer  had  dismounted  to  gather  his  cloak 
from  the  ground :  he  listened  and  asked, 

"  Will  any  terms  be  allowed  the  garrison?  " 

"  Those  who  choose  may  enrol  in  my  regiments 
at  Imola ;  the  rest  disbanded." 

The  officer  bowed,  mounted  his  horse  and  gal- 
loped away. 

"And  now,"  said  Valentino — "alert!  You,  Mi- 
chele,  surround  the  town  with  cavalry,  take  me  the 
duke  without  fail.  Vitellozzo  and  Oliverotto,  di- 
vide these  guns  and  advance  to  the  walls." 

The  cavalry  cantered  off  in  two  directions  to 
close  the  gates  of  the  city,  and  the  infantry  passed 
to  the  front,  all  merry  over  this  humorous  jest. 
Before  forty  minutes  elapsed,  a  white  flag  was 
raised,  and  Vitellozzo  received  the  custody  of  the 
gate  before  him.  Cesare  followed  with  Oliverotto 
and  a  column  of  halberdiers,  and  hastened  amid 
the  terror-stricken  populace  to  the  piazza,  disarmed 
the  garrison  and  occupied  Guidobaldo's  palace. 

Sword  in  hand,  from  room  to  room  hastened  Ce- 
sare and  Vitellozzo.  The  destruction  of  a  deposed 
prince  was  an  elementary  axiom  in  Italian  political 
science.  A  clattering  of  hoofs  in  the  street  diverted 
their  attention,  and  springing  to  a  window,  they 
beheld  Michelotto,  a  score  of  troopers  and  a  pris- 
oner— but  not  the  duke. 


URBINO.  143 

The  story  was  told  in  a  word.  The  captive  had 
attended  the  duke  at  the  rampart  where  an  excited 
debate  had  continued  between  Guidobaldo  and  his 
chiefs.  The  signal  of  the  fallen  white  cloak  un- 
deceived him.  Followed  by  a  few  officers,  the 
panic-stricken  Prince,  abandoning  every  hope  but 
that  of  life,  had  ridden  out  of  the  town.  The 
speaker's  horse  had  fallen  in  leaping  a  ditch,  the 
girths  had  broken,  and  rising,  he  had  seen  the 
others  galloping  likS  madmen  in  the  distance. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FOEZA  MAGGIORE. 

PULCIO'S  retreat  on  the  tile  tops  looked  over 
half  Rome.  From  the  graceful  upper  structure  of 
St.  Angelo,  the  eye  reached  to  the  waving  greens 
of  Monte  Pincio,  along  the  ridge  of  the  Quirinal  to 
the  mammoth  arches  of  Constantine's  Basilica,  to 
the  cypress  bluffs  of  Aventinus.  A  terrace  skirted 
the  roof,  whence  the  glance  fell  upon  narrow 
streets  ;  almost  black  they  looked  at  the  bottom,  so 
deep  was  their  shade  contrasted  with  the  stream- 
ing sunlight. 

The  jester  habitually  returned  at  night  to  his 
rookery ;  sometimes  there  was  a  day's  escape  from 
serfdom.  No  one  ever  came  to  his  refuge — neither 
tradesman,  nor  provision  boy,  nor  visitor,  however 
humble.  The  companions  of  his  solitude  were 
some  pots  of  flowers  ranged  upon  the  balcony,  and 
his  chief  pleasure  was  in  caring  for  them. 

"They  were  hers"  he  sometimes  murmured  to 
himself  ;  "  she  placed  them  here,  and  I  think  of  her 
through  them — as  it  were  between  the  blossoms." 

One  night  he  brought  a  theme  for  meditation. 
Giulia  Farnese  had  proceeded  in  her  design  against 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  145 

Elvira  with  the  caution  and  promptness  of  one  ac- 
customed to  such  combinations. 

Having  divined  the  dwarfs  hatred  of  Valentino, 
she  employed  him  with  Catalina  in  the  execution 
of  her  plan.  She  had  secured  the  adventurer 
Brazos  and  two  trusty  fellows  who  undertook  to 
remove  Elvira  at  midnight  to  a  distance  from 
Rome.  Lastly  she  had  contrived  the  absence  of 
the  sentries  for  one  hour.  Pulcio  lent  himself 
immediately  to  her  scheme,  hoping  to  thwart  any 
intended  injury  to  the  girl,  and  that  after  her 
seizure  she  should  be  delivered  to  his  patron 
Oliverotto  da  Fermo,  to  whom  he  communicated 
the  Farnese's  project,  asking  that  a  patrol  of 
troopers  be  sent  to  meet  the  abductors. 

For  this  task  Brazos  was  well  chosen.  He  had 
passed  from  ten  years'  service  in  the  Spanish  in- 
fantry, to  more  profitable  independent  employ- 
ment, and  now  the  fire  of  early  manhood  slackened, 
he  had  accepted  the  luxurious  commission  of  cap- 
tain of  a  company  of  arquebusiers.  He  served 
father  and  son  impartially,  and  was  useful  on  many 
an  errand  which  Don  Michele  would  not  touch,  or 
which  might  be  too  delicate  for  del  Nero's  sum- 
mary methods.  In  appearance  he  presented  the 
type  of  the  Spanish  officer ;  large  figure,  swarthy 
face,  beard  neatly  trimmed,  hair  close  cropped,  hard 
black  eyes — nothing  peculiar  about  him  except  the 
missing  half  ear  which  a  cutlass  stroke  had  severed. 
7 


146  VALENTINO. 

Three  hours  after  dark  on  the  evening  of  the 
day  appointed,  he  had  gone  with  his  two  bravos 
to  the  fork  of  three  lanes  where  Pulcio  had  en- 
gaged to  meet  him,  and  where  he  found  the  dwarf 
pacing  in  the  starlight;  Brazos  followed  across 
courtyards  and  down  one  alley  to  another,  till  they 
came  to  the  precincts  of  the  Vatican. 

"  I  know  not,"  he  remarked,  "  how  much  ex- 
perience you  may  have  had  in  such  business  as 
this,  but  in  affairs  requiring  delicate  dispatch 
everything  hinges  upon  small  details.  The  less 
they  look  the  larger  they  develop  at  the  critical 
juncture ;  you  agree  with  me  ?  We  have  but  one 
danger  in  to-night's  work,  and  that  is  from  patrols 
between  the  Vatican  and  the  Tiber ;  the  Farnese 
thinks  it  sufficient  to  put  a  couple  of  sentinels  off 
duty.  I  did  not  contradict  her — what  use  to  argue 
with  a  woman  ?  but  the  truth  is  the  Vatican  is 
watched  by  triple  videttes  ever  since  a  desperate 
rogue  fired  a  cross-bow  at  Valentino  over  the  garden 
wall — you  have  not  heard  of  it  ?  Ah,  so  much  for 
living  on  the  roof  tops.  To  resume,  then,  the 
chance  of  getting  from  the  palace  to  the  river 
without  molestation,  carrying  a  woman,  is  a  chance 
not  to  be  trifled  with.  So  I  persuaded  Herbsch  to 
give  me  to-night's  password.  Then  Roccamura 
has  pickets  that  go  prowling  about  in  the  dark, 
and  on  the  representation  that  I  should  be  out  on 
a  mission  for  the  court,  he  gave  his  countersign. 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  147 

Lastly,  there  is  a  knave  called  del  Nero,  who  may 
be  run  against  at  any  hour  ;  for  him,  if  we  meet, 
I  have  this,"  and  with  a  laugh  he  produced  a 
forged  order,  addressed  to  the  condottiere,  and 
enjoining  assistance  and  protection  to  the  bearer. 
"Best  of  all,  I  have  watched  and  timed  these 
various  nighthawks,  and  with  luck  we  can  pass 
down  the  Vicolo  del  Giardino,  which  three  men  will 
observe,  ready  to  give  us  timely  warning.  At  the 
water's  edge  waits  a  boat ;  we  all  get  into  it  and 
away  a  mile  down  the  river  to  a  hovel  where  will 
be  horses,  lights,  and  a  bite  and  sup.  It  is  under- 
stood that  there  I  leave  the  woman  to  be  carried 
wherever  Giulia  orders." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  overpowering  a  woman  with- 
out noise  ?  "  asked  Pulcio. 

"  Giulia's  words  were — wring  her  neck  if  she 
screams." 

"  And  what  is  in  that  bundle  ?  " 

"A  handkerchief  to  put  in  her  mouth  ;  a  cloth 
to  bind  round  to  keep  the  muzzle  in  place,  a  linen 
bag  to  drop  over  her  head,  and  a  cord  for  the 
wrists.  From  the  bedding  we  will  take  a  blanket 
to  wrap  her  in,  and  there  will  be  a  robe  and  a  cloak 
in  the  boat." 

A  convivial  party  was  that  assembled  in  one  of 
the  dining  chambers  of  the  Vatican — Giulia  Far- 
nese,  Ginevra  Savelli,  Elvira  d'Este,  Donna  Cata- 


148  VALENTINO. 

lina,  and  the  Venetian  Marino  Zorzi.  Not  one  of 
the  gala  rooms,  but  a  cosey  apartment  for  a  quiet 
supper,  in  the  absence  of  his  Holiness,  whom  gout 
confined  to  his  couch. 

To  oysters  from  Baiae  had  succeeded  trout  from 
Tivoli,  two  brace  of  pheasants  from  Albano,  a 
young  boar's  head,  which  Elvira  had  never  tasted 
and  which  she  was  afraid  of  now,  and  lastly  an 
assortment  of  the  sweets  in  which  Giulia  de- 
lighted, and  for  the  better  preparation  of  which 
she  had  recently  imported  a  Parisian  patissier. 
In  an  adjoining  room,  quite  out  of  view,  was  the 
Farnese's  latest  toy,  a  mandolin  quartette,  and 
ever  and  anon-  some  sweet  refrain  trembled  on  the 
air. 

Giulia  was  in  a  gale  of  good  spirits,  and  Ginevra 
and  Elvira  caught  something  of  her  unusual  gayety. 
Connoisseur  as  he  was,  the  Venetian  could  not  de- 
termine which  was  the  loveliest  of  the  three. 

"You  shall  see  them  to-morrow,"  exclaimed 
Giulia  ;  "  six  superb  Arab  horses,  a  service  of  fili- 
greed  silver,  bright  plumaged  birds,  and,  sweetest 
of  all,  two  little  monkeys." 

"  The  Sultan  is  a  friend  worth  having,"  remarked 
Zorzi ;  "  would  that  we  in  Venice  had  been  mindful 
of  it." 

"  What  have  you  done  with  the  monkeys  ? " 
asked  Elvira. 

"They  are  neighbors  of  yours  for  to-night,  till  a 


FORZA   MAGGIORE.  149 

place  can  be  arranged  to-morrow.  They  played 
and  scampered  about  all  the  afternoon  and  fell 
asleep  at  dusk,  curled  up  together  with  a  blanket 
tucked  over  them." 

"  How  amused  Lucretia  would  have  been." 

"  I  shall  write  and  tell  her  about  them." 

"Is  it  true  a  letter  was  received  to-day  from 
Ferrara?" 

"  Yes  ;  Lucretia  announces  safe  arrival  and  sweet 
welcome." 

"  Does  she  speak  of  Alfonzo  ?  " 

"  Pronounces  him  handsome  and  charming,  but 
in  general  terms.  What  fetes  they  will  have  there 
now,"  continued  Giulia  ;  "  how  dull  it  seems  after 
the  brilliant  galas  of  three  weeks  ago.  You  have 
often  told  me,"  she  added,  addressing  Zorzi,  "of 
the  celebrations  at  Venice  on  the  water ;  could  not 
we  arrange  something  of  that  sort  here  ?  " 

"  You  have  the  Tiber,"  answered  the  envoy,  "  but 
forgive  me,  you  have  not  the  graceful  gondolas,  the 
gilded  pleasure  galleys,  the  argosies  with  pink  and 
citron  sails.  Here  none  dare  venture  to  church  or 
festival  unarmed ;  in  Venice  the  days  pass  as  though 
the  gentle  surf-beat  on  the  Lido  attuned  the 
chords  of  life.  Your  eddying  Tiber  is  not  the 
placid  Grand  Canal,  glistening  in  the  sun  by  day 
beneath  the  marble  carvings  of  a  hundred  palaces, 
and  at  night  sparkling  with  lanterns  and  reverbe- 
rent  with  voices  of  song." 


150  VALENTINO. 

"I  leave  for  Ferrara  in  three  days,"  said  Elvira, 
"  thence  I  will  write  you  of  the  latest  pageants  in 
Venice ;  they  may  serve  in  suggestion." 

Giulia  exchanged  a  furtive  glance  with  Donna 
Catalina,  who  had  scarcely  spoken,  plunged  as  she 
seemed  in  abstraction.  Neither  of  them  put  faith 
in  this  declaration  of  departure,  and  a  strangely 
similar  expression  rested  for  a  moment  on  both 
their  faces,  while  it  lasted  making  the  youthful 
countenance  of  the  Farnese  resemble  that  of  her 
hard-featured  confidante. 

"That  will  be  like  you,"  she  replied;  "always 
thoughtful  and  kind." 

"Suppose,"  said  Ginevra,  "we  go  on  a  visit  to 
Lucretia,  thence  to  Venice,  and  have  our  fete  on 
the  water  as  Messer  Zorzi  described  it." 

"  He  might  take  us  thither  by  water,"  observed 
Giulia  playfully. 

"  I  will  bring  my  own  barge  to  Ancona,"  answered 
the  envoy. 

"  To  Ancona  only  ;  you  must  bring  it  to  Rome." 

"A  chariot  across  the  Apennines,  and  a  galley 
on  the  sea."  The  Venetian's  half  spoken  reply  was 
drowned  by  the  merriment  of  his  companions. 

"  In  recognition  of  his  gallantry,"  said  Giulia, 
"  we  will  drink  the  health  of  our  host  that  is  to 
be.  Not  in  ordinary  wine — there  is  a  flask  from 
Spain  yonder — what,  have  all  the  servants  left  ? 
then,  good  Catalina,  do  me  the  service  to  place  it 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  151 

here — we  will  use  those  little  glasses — 'tis  of  an 
exquisite  flavor,  sent  me  by  the  King  and  made 
at  his  own  vineyard  at  Oporto." 

The  amiable  Donna  Catalina  rose  and  brought 
the  desired  flask  and  glasses  ;  Giulia's  hand 
trembled  perceptibly  as  she  filled  them,  returning 
the  flask  to  Catalina  who  replaced  it  on  the  carving 
table.  Each  of  the  guests  took  one  of  the  little 
^glasses.  In  resuming  her  seat  at  the  right  of  El- 
vira, Donna  Catalina's  long  sleeve  upset  that  before 
the  Estense.  "  With  all  my  heart  I  ask  your  par- 
don," she  said  ;  "  fortunately  it  is  not  broken,  there 
is  no  ill-luck ;  you  forgive  me  ?  I  will  refill  your 
glass " 

"And  now,"  said  Giulia,  diverting  attention  to 
herself,  "  it  is  agreed  we  go  to  Venice,  and  Messer 
Zorzi  shall  be  master  of  the  fetes  and " 

"  And  here,  fair  Elvira,  is  your  glass  replen- 
ished," whispered  Catalina. 

"  And  in  the  meanwhile  let  us  pledge  him  to  the 
last  drop;  he  shall  drink  to  us  when  we  float  by 
the  Bialto  together." 

They  emptied  their  glasses.  Giulia  glanced 
again  towards  Catalina  and  noticed  that  her  face 
from  being  pale  had  flushed  crimson.  At  this 
instant  Pulcio  entered.  He  too  seemed  in  a  mood 
more  jocular  than  even  his  usual  wont,  and  made 
merry  over  the  bumper  that  the  Venetian  handed 
him  wherewith  to  toast  the  proposed  journey. 


152  VALENTINO. 

Ginevra  rose  to  go,  and  Giulia  followed  to  the 
adjoining  room. 

"  Some  one  travels  far  to-night,"  she  said  in  a 
low  voice. 

"  I  saw  that  Catalina  gave  it,"  whispered  the 
Savelli,  half  frightened,  half  glad. 

"  Yes ;  and  more  than  that,  all  is  arranged  as  I 
told  you  yesterday.  She  will  be  carried  hence 
within  two  hours  ;  you  will  never  see  her  more — * 
nor  will  I — hush,  some  one  comes,  it  is  Zorzi." 

The  Venetian  joined  them,  and  offered  to  Gine- 
vra his  hand  down  the  broad  stairs,  at  the  foot  of 
which,  near  the  Swiss  sentries,  stood  their  ser- 
vants. 

Elvira  rose  as  Giulia  re-entered.  "  I  too  must 
leave,"  she  said ;  "  my  poor  Innocenta  has  suffered 
all  day,  and  I  promised  to  spend  a  moment  with 
her." 

"  Afflicted  lady,  does  she  receive  everything  she 
needs  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sweet  friend ;  warm  weather  alone  will 
restore  her,  and  it  is  for  her  sake  I  have  waited 
till  now,  in  the  hope  of  less  inclement  skies." 

"If  you  speak  thus,  you  will  make  us  pray  for 
storms." 

"  Dear  Giulia,  I  kiss  you  good-night ;  may  your 
rest  be  untroubled." 

"  That  yours  will  not  be,"  thought  the  Farnese, 
returning  the  salutation. 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  153 

The  next  moment  she  was  alone  with  the  dwarf 
and  Donna  Catalina. 

"Oh,  Giulia,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  unable  to 
contain  herself  even  in  presence  of  the  jester,  "  if 
you  have  deceived  me — if  it  prove  fatal " 

"  Peace,  croaking  raven !  what  danger  is  there  in 
a  little  night  air?"  interposed  Giulia,  seeking  to 
apply  the  words  of  her  accomplice  to  the  at- 
tempt before  them.  But  Pulcio  was  quick-witted, 
and  a  swift  suspicion  had  fired  his  brain.  Giulia 
resolved  to  remove  him  instantly  from  the  con- 
science-stricken Catalina. 

"Where  are  they?"  she  asked  abruptly. 

"  Hidden  at  the  head  of  the  lane." 

"Good.  One  hour  before  midnight  the  Torre 
gate  sentries  will  be  withdrawn.  You  will  bring 
them  in  at  that  moment ;  hasten  to  the  floor  above 
this,  and  wait  in  the  room  at  the  angle  till  I  sum- 
mon. Go — be  quick." 

The  dwarf  left  the  room.  Giulia  wheeled  upon 
Catalina  with  a  frenzy  intensified  by  her  over- 
wrought nerves. 

"Imbecile!"  she  hissed,  "would  you  ruin  all! 
Two  fools  to  serve  me  instead  of  one." 

Catalina  burst  into  tears  and  gasped  herself  to 
the  verge  of  hysteria.  "  Stop — no  noise,"  exclaimed 
Giulia,  clutching  her  arm,  then  releasing  it  as  she 
perceived  that  one  of  her  factors  was  being  fright- 
ened to  uselessness.  "There,"  she  resumed,  less 
7* 


154  VALENTINO. 

harshly,  "  if  I  spoke  thus,  it  was  but  to  check  that 
moment's  panic — here,  drink  we  each  a  glass  of  this 
cordial  to  put  us  in  heart — so,  are  you  yourself 
again  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mistress,  if  only  I  felt  sure  there  is  no  ter- 
rible mistake ! " 

"Why,  thou  prating  jade,  it  is  even  as  I  said,  a 
sleeping  potion.  How  could  we  have  removed  her 
without  it,  or  how  can  you  suspect  me  of  using 
anything  more  potent  ?  " 

Catalina  sobbed  herself  to  comparative  steadi- 
ness. "Another  glass  of  your  cordial,"  she  said, 
"  and  then  we  must  be  going  ;  it  is  time — yet  how 
slowly  the  minutes  drag." 

A  moment  later  they  were  together  in  Giulia's 
room,  each  replaced  her  robes  with  a  light  wrap 
and  noiseless  slippers.  Half  an  hour  passed.  They 
stole  to  a  casement  which  commanded  Elvira's 
window  ;  the  light  in  it  was  still  burning :  a  little 
further  was  her  duenna's  apartment,  and  there, 
too,  appeared  a  light. 

"  Innocenta  is  very  ill ;  strange  that  her  lamp  is 
not  extinguished." 

"  Sick  people  dread  the  dark." 

"  Her  light  and  her  wakefulness  will  not  inter- 
fere with  us  ;  who  cares  if  she  does  hear  a  scuffle." 

"  Besides  there  is  a  passage  and  two  doors  be- 
tween their  rooms ;  one  of  them,  at  least,  will  be 
closed," 


FORZA   MAQGIORE.  155 

Presently  the  bells  of  a  dozen  churches  sounded 
the  hour  before  midnight,  and  simultaneously  the 
light  in  Elvira's  room  disappeared.  "  Darkness !  " 
murmured  Giulia,  "  how  strange  will  the  light  seem 
to  her  when  she  next  beholds  it.  Stay  you  here, 
Catalina,  and  watch,  and  I  will  meet  the  men.  How 
my  heart  beats." 

Fifteen  minutes  passed,  and  the  jester,  followed 
by  Brazos  and  two  rough  hirelings,  hastened  up  the 
stair.  "  The  sentries  were  withdrawn,"  whispered 
Pulcio  to  Giulia,  "  but  the  guards  in  the  palace  are 
everywhere  doubled." 

"  That  is  nothing ;  Herbsch  feared  the  conse- 
quences, and  so  doubled  the  watch  at  every  other 
post,  like  the  dullard  he  is." 

"  We  must  be  quick,"  said  Brazos ;  "  show  us  the 
way  at  once." 

"  Hush  !  "  exclaimed  Giulia,  "  some  one  comes." 

Catalina  hastened  to  them ;  "  The  light  in  the 
duenna's  room  is  out ;  it  is  half  an  hour  since  El- 
vira's was  extinguished" — then  whispering  in  Giu- 
lia's  ear,  she  said,  "  The  potion  must  have  taken  ef- 
fect ;  'tis  now  an  hour  and  a  half." 

"  To  it  then !  You,  Pulcio,  keep  watch  on  the 
stairs,  I  will  remain  here,  Catalina  will  open  the 
door,  and  you,  Brazos,  and  your  men  will  do  the 
rest." 

The  Spaniard  listened  absently,  as  if  immersed 
in  his  own  thoughts,  or  not  caring  what  a  woman 


156  VALENTINO. 

might  say  at  such  a  moment :  and  now  Catalina  led 
the  way,  the  men  following  softly,  bearing  the 
cords  and  bandages  in  their  hands.  They  reached 
the  door,  which  was  in  one  particular  of  unusual 
construction,  though  there  were  others  like  it 
among  the  guest  chambers.  A  hidden  spring  was 
pressed  by  Catalina,  and  she  drew  open  one  of  the 
panels.  Introducing  her  hand,  she  threw  back  the 
bolt  and  noiselessly  opened  the  door.  All  within 
was  silent,  all  was  dark,  save  for  the  faint  light 
from  the  hall  behind,  which  barely  made  objects 
distinguishable.  Giulia  at  the  end  of  the  corri- 
dor stood  watching  them  ;  and  now  all  four  passed 
from  her  view. 

Catalina  pointed  to  the  bed,  where  the  outline 
of  a  figure  was  discernible.  Brazos  seized  the  arms 
of  the  sleeper,  his  attendants,  ere  a  scream  could 
pass  the  lips  of  the  awakened  woman,  forced  a 
handkerchief  between  her  teeth,  bound  a  strip  of 
linen  over  it,  and  drew  a  muslin  sack  over  her 
head,  which  fell  back  upon  the  pillow  as  if  their 
victim  had  swooned  in  affright.  It  was  the  work 
of  an  instant  to  tie  her  hands,  two  blankets  were 
wrapped  about  her,  and  the  men  raised  her  between 
them. 

Giulia  saw  them  come  out  and  hurry  past,  bear- 
ing their  inanimate  and  ominous  burden — her  eyes 
swam,  her  nerves  relaxed  after  the  long  excitement, 
she  tottered  against  the  wall,  as  they  passed 


FORZA   MAGGIORE.  157 

down  the  stairs,  vanished  from  her  sight,  and  were 
gone. 

"Let  us  to  your  room,"  exclaimed  Catalina  in 
a  muffled  voice  ;  "  you  faint — you  will  fall  to  the 
ground." 

"  Did  they  get  out  before  the  sentries  returned  ?  " 

"  Pulcio  has  followed  to  see." 

"  Did  you  close  the  spring  at  her  door  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  shut  the  door  when  we  came  out." 

In  Giulia's  room  they  waited.  The  bells  sounded 
midnight,  but  the  jester  came  not ;  finally  Catalina 
stole  out  into  the  hall-way,  and  called  down  a  small 
winding  stair ;  two  drowsy  maids  answered  her 
summons. 

"  Wait  ho  longer,"  she  said,  "  put  out  the  lamps  ; 
but  first  one  of  you  look  if  the  guards  at  the  Torre 
gate  are  awake." 

The  woman  returned  with  an  affirmative  answer, 
which  Catalina  bore  to  her  mistress.  "They 
would  not  let  Pulcio  in  at  this  hour,"  she  added. 

"  Probably  they  had  resumed  their  posts  before 
he  got  back,"  mused  Giulia ;  "strange  that  he 
should  have  gone  outside." 

"  Let  us  to  our  beds  now,"  urged  Catalina,  tak- 
ing up  a  small  taper,  "  we  are  both  exhausted,  and 
it  is  idle  wondering  why  this,  why  that." 

"  Yes,  go  you  and  sleep  ;  I  too  will  doze  a  little 
if  I  can;  another  such  night  as  this  would  make 
me  begin  to  look  old." 


158  VALENTINO. 

"  They  are  in  the  boat  now,"  she  thought ;  and 
the  vision  of  that  helpless,  muffled  figure  came 
back  to  her.  "  The  poison  will  take  effect  to-mor- 
row," she  muttered,  "  sufficient  to  make  resistance 
unavailing."  And  the  alarm  in  the  morning — who 
would  first  make  the  startling  discovery  of  Elvira's 
disappearance  ?  Would  it  be  the  sick  duenna,  or 
more  probably  some  maid  come  to  arouse  her  ?  And 
by  degrees  the  thoughts  became  less  distinct,  grew 
more  and  more  spectral,  till  Giulia  dropped  into  a 
fitful  slumber,  with  an  occasional  start  from  visions 
of  troops  of  stalwart  men  and  grinning  dwarfs  glid- 
ing by  in  endless  succession,  and  bearing  corpse 
after  corpse  before  her. 

She  was  roused  by  a  noise  too  positive  to  belong 
to  the  land  of  dreams  ;  a  blending  of  voices  and 
foot-falls  in  the  hall  below.  It  was  no  longer  dark  ; 
the  gray  of  dawn  spread  all  across  the  sky.  A 
hurried  step  passed  her  door.  She  threw  on  the 
garments  that  lay  nearest  and  looked  out.  No  one 
appeared  in  the  corridor  ;  from  a  window  she  could 
scan  the  court-yard  where  two  soldiers  stood  talk- 
ing ; — suddenly  a  woman  came  running  up  the  stair. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  cried  Giulia,  placing  herself  be- 
fore the  new-comer,  whom  she  recognized  to  be 
the  Estense's  maid.  But  the  woman  answered 
not,  and  darting  by,  hurried  on  to  Elvira's  door — 
what !  could  she  be  mistaken !  the  servant  had 
gone  to  the  door  beyond  Elvira's— ah,  yes,  to  sum- 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  159 

mon  the  duenna,  that  was  a  matter  of  course ; 
then  came  the  sound  of  voices,  she  listened,  she 
went  nearer — a  cold  spasm  struck  her,  she  has- 
tened to  the  room — and  there  before  her  stood 
Elvira  d'Este. 

Giulia  Farnese  was  dumbstruck  with  overwhelm- 
ing disappointment.  It  seemed  like  magic — though 
Ormes  could  play  no  tricks  like  this — or  like  the 
protecting  agency  of  some  uncanny  power.  She 
remained  speechless,  and  scarcely  heard  the  first 
words  spoken. 

"  Oh,  Giulia !  "  cried  Elvira,  bewildered  as  one 
who  is  painfully  awakened,  and  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  "  what  is  it  that  has  happened — what 
can  Felicia  mean  ?  " 

"  Did  you  sleep  in  this  room  ? "  asked  Giulia, 
not  noticing  the  question. 

"  Yes ;  the  next  is  mine,  this  is  Innocenta's." 

"  Haste  you,  lady,"  interrupted  the  maid ;  "  throw 
something  on  and  come  down,  or  she  may  die  ere 
you  see  her." 

"  Why  did  you  leave  your  own  ?  "  asked  Giulia, 
absorbed  by  one  thought. 

Elvira  threw  on  the  gown  her  servant  held. 
"  Last  evening,"  she  began,  "  I  found  Innocenta  in 
a  paroxysm  of  alarm.  Your  monkeys  had  been 
placed  in  the  room  adjoining  ;  she  learned  of  it 
and  fancied  she  heard  their  chatter.  She  said  she 
would  as  leavo  have  a  monkey  in  her  room  as  in 


160  VALENTINO. 

the  room  beside  her,  so — but  what  were  you  tell- 
ing me,  Felicia — she  was  found  in  the  lane  by  a 
patrol  of  guards  ?  " 

"  She  can  scarcely  speak — they  summoned  me 
from  my  bed,  I  was  only  with  her  a  moment,  and 
ran  back  to  call  you." 

There  came  the  noise  of  measured  steps  in  the 
corridor.  Felicia  peeped  out  and  said  :  "  They 
are  bringing  her  now,  here  she  is — this  way,  lay 
her  on  her  own  bed ;"  and  slowly  four  guards  en- 
tered, bearing  a  dishevelled  and  half-conscious 
woman  wrapped  in  a  blanket. 

"  Poor  lady !  "  exclaimed  Elvira,  horror-struck, 
"  what  strange  thing  is  this  ?  "  The  men  left  the 
room  ;  Giulia  lingered  and  listened. 

"  Innocenta,"  continued  Elvira,  "  what  has  be- 
fallen you  ?  " 

The  old  woman  drew  a  long  sigh  of  relief  as  she 
was  laid  tenderly  on  her  bed.  "  Oh,  Elvira !  "  she 
answered,  speaking  with  difficulty,  "  what  have  I 
not  suffered !  " 

"  Tell  us  in  a  few  words  how  you  left  my  room — 
speak  slowly,  little  by  little." 

The  sick  woman  looked  wearily  around.  "  Lit- 
tle by  little.  Yes,  I  am  so  tired.  Last  night  I 
was  seized — it  is  all  so  vague,  my  head  swam, 
my  heart  stood  still ;  I  felt  myself  carried  into 
the  night  air;  there  seemed  to  be  a  number  of 
men  ;  some  were  talking,  and  one  said  :  '  I  know 


FORZA  MAOOIORE.  161 

it ;  not  an  instant  is  to  be  lost,  or  she  will  be 
dead  before  morning. ' ' 

"  What  could  that  mean  ?  "  ejaculated  Elvira, 
as  Innocenta  paused  to  take  breath. 

"  The  others  answered :  '  We  cannot  stop  here  5 
it  is  not  safe  ;  wait  till  we  get  to  the  boat.' ' 

"  The  boat !  "  cried  Elvira,  amazed. 

"  Soon  after  they  stopped  ;  I  heard  them  trying 
to  strike  a  light.  '  Never  mind  your  lantern,'  said 
one ;  '  I  have  an  emetic  here  ;  open  her  mouth 
and  I  will  pour  it  down.'  '  She  will  scream,'  ob- 
jected another.  *  Nay,'  insisted  the  first,  '  do  you 
not  see  that  she  is  unconscious  ?  The  poison  has 
taken  effect  already.'  They  began  undoing  the 
wraps  about  my  head,  and  all  the  time  I  heard 
the  striking  of  the  flint  and  steel.  My  lips  were 
glued  together.  I  could  not  cry  aloud.  A  bottle 
was  forced  into  my  mouth  ;  its  contents  gurgled 
down  my  throat ;  at  last  the  lantern  was  lighted ; 
I  saw  the  men  before  me,  and  foremost,  holding 
the  bottle,  a  hideous  dwarf— oh,  the  ghastly  dis- 
torted face ! — and  then  one  of  the  others  uttered 
an  oath,  tore  the  covering  from  my  face  ;  they  all 
began  talking  at  once  ;  their  draught  sickened  me  ; 
I  fainted,  and — 

Innoceuta  ceased  speaking  ;  her  voice  had  failed. 

"  A  patrol  discovered  her  an  hour  since,"  added 
the  maid,  Felicia,  "  rolling  on  the  ground  and  rav- 
ing." 


162  VALENTINO. 

A  light  dawned  upon  Elvira ;  she  was  slow  in 
making  the  first  discovery ;  she  did  not  yet  asso- 
ciate Giulia  with  what  had  happened,  and  turned 
to  speak  to  her,  but  the  Farnese  had  heard  enough 
and  had  slipped  noiselessly  from  the  room. 

The  attentions  which  Elvira  and  her  maid  be- 
stowed upon  the  exhausted  duenna  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  arrival  of  Giulia's  physician.  He 
was  a  man  in  advance  of  the  medical  science  of  his 
age.  He  pronounced  bleeding  unnecessary ;  that 
no  strong  drugs  were  required ;  that  the  poison- 
since  they  all  talked  of  poison — had  certainly  been 
removed  by  the  emetic  ;  that  he  would  leave  two 
pellets  to  be  taken — soothing,  warming  to  the 
system.  More  than  this,  a  light  broth  at  inter- 
vals through  the  day.  He  stopped  at  Giulia's 
door  to  give  news  of  the  patient.  She  drew  him 
into  the  room  and  bade  him  be  seated,  addressing 
him  by  the  name  of  Ormes. 

"Will  she  die?" 

"  She  is  in  no  danger  ;  it  is  weakness  ;  she  has 
been  roughly  dealt  with." 

"  Elvira  received  the  drops  last  evening ;  when 
will  they  take  effect  ?  " 

The  magician  appeared  to  reflect  profoundly. 
"  It  depends  upon  many  circumstances :  the  con- 
dition of  her  system  ;  the  state  of  the  weather, 
and  so  on.  But  it  should  be  either  to-day  or  to- 
night." 


FORZA  MAGGIOEE.  163 

"That  is  too  late,"  said  Giulia,  half  talking  to 
herself.  "An  inquiry  will  be  made;  no  story  can 
cover  so  bad  a  case — I  must  have  a  short  way  out 
of  this,"  she  said,  starting  up. 

Ormes  knew  that  these  words  portended  sure, 
swift,  agonizing  death  to  the  unsuspecting  Elvira. 
He  sought  for  some  pretext  to  look  in  again  on  his 
patient  and  warn  the  Estense.  But  this  might  be 
at  the  risk  of  his  own  life  if  Giulia  learned  of  his 
return  to  the  sick-room.  He  renounced  the  idea, 
therefore,  with  the  Oriental  reflection—"  It  is  her 
fate ! " 

But  rescue  arrived  from  another  and  a  surer 
source.  Not  long  after  the  supposed  leech  had 
left  Innocenta's  room,  Felicia  announced  a  stran- 
ger impatiently  waiting  in  the  boudoir. 

"  If  I  intrude  upon  you  thus  abruptly  and  at  so 
unreasonable  an  hour,"  said  the  new-comer,  "  it  is 
for  a  reason  you  will  think  sufficient.  My  name  is 
Candale  ;  I  am  sent  here  by  the  Duke  Valentino. 
I  made  such  haste  from  Imola  that  I  ruined  three 
horses — and  it  seems  I  was  well-nigh  too  late." 

"Too  late  for  what?" 

"  I  learned  of  your  escape  when  I  galloped  in 
just  now ;  the  guards  were  talking  about  the 
woman  found  poisoned ;  your  enemies  got  her  by 
mistake.  My  orders  are  made  tenfold  more  im- 
perative by  this.  Valentino  was  warned  of  your 
danger  by  a  magician,  and  I  am  commanded  to 


164  VALENTINO. 

remove  you  from  the  Vatican  to  a  place  of  safety, 
and  thence  to  Ferrara." 

He  ceased  speaking  as  Catalina  appeared.  She 
bowed  slightly  to  him,  and  addressing  Elvira,  said: 
"  Giulia  Farnese  greets  you,  and  bids  you  to  break- 
fast with  her  two  hours  hence ;  she  has  much  to 
ask,  everything  to  offer." 

"  My  thanks  to  Donna  Giulia,  but  I  am  fatigued 
and  troubled — beg  her  to  excuse  my  absence,"  and 
Catalina  withdrew  without  a  word. 

"  Quick,  if  you  value  life  !  "  ejaculated  Candale. 

"What  mean  you?" 

"  Mean — that  what  failed  last  night  is  to  be 
achieved  before  sunset.  Leave  everything  with 
this  lady,  she  is  not  their  object ;  bring  your  maid 
with  you  and  come." 

"  But—"  began  Elvira. 

"  Lady,"  interrupted  Candale,  "  I  have  explained 
my  mission  ;  do  not  compel  me  to  use  force." 

"  What  place  is  this,"  cried  Elvira  with  a  burst 
of  anger,  "  where  women  are  seized  in  their  beds 
by  night,  and  threatened  with  force  in  their  rooms 
by  day?" 

"  Cesare  Borgia  is  better  able  to  explain  that 
than  I." 

"  You  are  a  stranger  to  me  :  this  may  be  another 
decoy." 

"How  dull  to  have  forgotten !"  and  Candale 
drew  from  under  his  doublet  a  gold  chain  which 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  165 

the  Estense  recognized  as  one  Cesare  habitually 
wore. 

"  I  am  satisfied,"  she  said ;  "  grant  me  a  moment 
to  make  ready." 

The  Spaniard's  patience  failed.  "A  plague 
on  all  women,"  he  said ;  "  we  are  fortunate  if  we 
escape  now;  Catalina  will  have  warned  her 
mistress  of  my  arrival — we  may  find  a  picket  of 
condottieri  on  the  stair."  And  he  caught  the 
young  girl  by  the  wrist,  and  sternly  bade  Felicia 
follow. 

"  At  least  my  cloak  " — and  throwing  it  on  as  she 
followed,  and  with  her  terrified  maid  at  her  heels, 
Elvira  fled,  leaving  her  duenna  stunned  by  the 
words  she  had  overheard. 

The  sun  was  up  as  they  issued  forth  unchal- 
lenged. They  walked  as  fast  as  the  women  could 
go,  Candale  leading  to  del  Nero's,  where  their 
arrival  caused  some  astonishment.  Elvira  was 
shown  with  her  maid  to  a  room  hastily  cleared 
for  their  accommodation.  Del  Nero,  roused  from 
a  long  winter  night's  sleep,  put  on  an  excessive 
show  of  gallantry  until  brought  to  seriousness  by 
the  sight  of  the  silver  whistle  and  the  gold  chain. 
"  Are  you  ready  to  set  out  this  morning  ?  "  asked 
Candale  of  him. 

"  By  mid-day  I  will  have  good  horses,  provisions, 
and  ten  trusty  men  equipped.  Is  there  danger  of 
pursuit  ?  " 


166  VALENTINO. 

"  We  were  not  followed  here,"  replied  Candale, 
"  but  to-morrow  news  of  the  direction  of  our  flight 
may  come." 

"  Then,"  said  del  Nero,  "  let  me  dispatch  a  mes- 
senger direct  to  Valentino ;  he  will  send  a  troop  of 
horse  half  way." 

"  Well  thought,"  answered  Candale.  "  Lady  El- 
vira," he  continued,  "  spare  us  your  maid ;  one  of 
the  men  here  will  attend  her,  she  can  make  such 
purchases  as  are  essential.  And  however  humble 
this  abode,  you  will  presently  make  a  more  auspi- 
cious breakfast  than  Giulia  Farnese  would  have 
set  before  you." 

Candale  had  placed  his  charge  in  safety  when 
Ginevra  appeared  in  Giulia's  apartment.  "  It 
failed  then  ? "  she  said  under  her  breath. 

"Yes  ;  no  time  to  explain.     I  am  glad  you  are 
here.    She  refuses  to  come  to  me ;  something  must 
be  done.     I  am  brought  to  bay." 
"  Oh  Heaven,  Giulia,  be  prudent !  " 
"It  were  imprudence  to  hesitate  now." 
Catalina  burst  upon  them  in  a  tumult  of  excite- 
ment.    "  My  lady,"  she  cried,  "  we  are  betrayed — 
it  must  be  Candale." 

"What  mischief  have  you  now  to  tell?"  ex- 
claimed Giulia  fiercely. 

"  Elvira  has  left  the  palace — escaped !  " 

They  looked  at  one  another,  Catalina  in  conster- 


FORZA  MAGGIORE.  167 

nation,  Giulia  scarlet  with  rage.  Then  Ginevra 
laughed  bitterly  as  she  said,  "  If  you  cannot  man- 
age better  than  this,  Lucretia's  words  will  yet 
come  true — that  girl  will  drive  you  from  the 
Vatican." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A  FALCON  HUNT. 

IN  a  sombre,  deep-raftered  chamber  of  the  pal- 
ace at  Forli  which  two  years  before  had  been  the 
residence  of  Catarina  Sforza,  sat  the  brothers  Pa- 
golo  and  Francesco  Orsini.  The  clear  winter  day 
was  fading  before  the  twilight  which  crept  stealth- 
ily over  the  sky  and  extinguished  its  fires.  A  chess 
table  stood  between  them,  and  absorbed  in  the  com- 
binations of  the  game,  the  players  had  made  their 
alternate  moves  for  an  hour,  almost  without  speak- 
ing. Though  not  handsome  men,  both  were  in- 
tellectual looking — not  always  a  characteristic  of 
soldier  captains  in  an  age  when  war  was  merciless 
and  conquest  unsparing.  Both  were  habited  in 
cloth  tunics,  tight-fitting  breeches,  and  tanned 
boots  ;  a  poniard  at  the  side,  a  gold  chain  round 
the  collar,  their  swords  and  feathered  caps  near 
by :  it  was  the  equipment  of  chiefs  off  duty  and 
able  to  dispense  with  burdensome  accoutrements. 
Pagolo  was  the  elder — a  black-bearded  man  with 
firm  profile,  sad-expressioned  eyes,  hair  thin  at  the 
temples  and  frosting  at  the  sides.  Francesco — 


A  FALCON  UUNT.  169 

Duke  of  Gravina  as  he  was  often  called — was  in  age 
half  a  dozen  years  his  junior,  but  the  difference  be- 
tween them  in  appearance  was  greater ;  time  had 
told  less  upon  the  younger  brother.  Both  had 
lived  since  youth  amid  the  schooling  and  excite- 
ment of  arms ;  Pagolo  was  the  more  skilful  com- 
mander, Francesco  the  more  impetuous.  The  game 
just  finishing  was  an  index  to  their  natures ;  Gra- 
vina had  commenced  a  clever  but  imperfectly  com- 
bined attack  upon  his  opponent's  developing  posi- 
tion, had,  through  an  oversight,  exchanged  a  rook 
for  a  knight,  had  lost  the  move,  and  seeing  a  for- 
midable onset  gathering,  had  conceived  a  bold 
counterstroke,  when,  in  the  course  of  a  change  of 
front,  his  Queen  became  ensnared  among  the  ene- 
my's light  troops. 

"It  grows  so  dim,"  said  Pagolo,  "  we  must  either 
call  for  lights,  or  imagine  the  game  ended." 

"  No  great  effort  of  fancy  is  required  for  that," 
answered  Gravina,  with  good  nature.  "  It  is  fin- 
ished, or  would  be  in  a  moment ; "  and  rising,  he 
walked  to  the  door  and  ordered  a  servant  in  wait- 
ing to  bring  lights.  A  candelabrum  was  forthwith 
placed  upon  the  centre  table  casting  a  flickering 
glow  about  the  room,  which  was  hung  with  three 
solemn  portraits  of  departed  Sforzas,  one  a  knight 
whose  lineaments  looked  unbending  as  his  armor, 
another  of  a  lady  in  the  dress  of  a  by-gone  century, 
and  the  third  of  a  boy  incased  in  toy  cuirass,  his 


170  VALENTINO. 

faded  little  face  looking  from  the  dark  background 
with  wistful,  wondering  gaze.  An  oaken  press 
faced  the  high,  shallow  fireplace,  some  carved 
chairs  with  leather  cushions,  two  tables  and  a  buf- 
fet on  which  stood  wine  flasks,  completed  the  fur- 
niture. To  one  of  these  latter  Gravina  now  turned 
his  attention. 

"  To  the  defeated,  chess  is  a  thirsty  game,"  he 
remarked.  His  brother  had  risen  and  was  looking 
from  the  window  at  the  Piazza,  where  lights  ap- 
peared here  and  there  in  the  windows. 

"Remember  that  Ramiro  sups  with  us  pres- 
ently," Pagolo  answered. 

"  Which  means  a  swallow,  not  a  draught,  eh  ? 
By  the  way,  have  we  something  dainty,  or  only  gar- 
rison fare  ?  " 

"  What  epicures  our  soldiers  grow !  We  shall 
have  better  than  ordinary  ;  did  not  I  tell  you  that 
while  Ramiro  eats  at  our  table,  it  is  he  who  brings 
the  provision  ?  " 

"  So  much  the  better ;  he  will  have  bagged  all 
the  milk  and  honey  in  the  land — which  reminds  me 
that  Cesare  has  some  new-fangled  idea  about  sup- 
plies following  in  wagons;  the  old  way  is  much  bet- 
ter ;  let  the  army  pursue  the  supplies — so  means 
our  motto  Avanti" 

"  In  truth  we  fare  poorly,"  quoth  Pagolo  ;  "  be- 
tween dried  beef  and  scanty  levies,  I  wish  myself 
in  Rome.  We  might  have  been  absent  a  month ; 


A  FALCON  BUNT.  171 

nothing  has  been  doing  all  winter,  though  we  shall 
presently  have  occupation  enough." 

"  Cesare  has  not  come  to  Forli  merely  to  inspect." 

"  'Tis  three  months  since  we  saw  him ;  he  has 
not  been  idle  the  while ;  the  husband  he  wanted  for 
Lucretia,  Urbino  taken,  and  now  this  affair  at  Ca- 
merino." 

"  Which  think  you  the  greater  fool,  Guidobaldo 
to  give  up  his  artillery,  or  Varano  to  wait  and  be 
strangled?" 

"  Valentino  is  in  high  spirits  over  it  all ;  he  was 
writing  verses  this  morning." 

"  It  is  Vitellozzo  who  incites  him  against  Flor- 
ence ;  he  has  not  forgotten  the  murder  of  his 
brother." 

"  Less  to  avenge  his  brother  than  to  add  a  strip 
to  Citta  di  Castello :  call  it  revenge  and  profit 
combined ;  the  two  make  a  high  sense  of  duty." 

Gravina  stroked  his  beard  reflectively  as  he  ob- 
served, "  I  have  heard  him  say  that  his  chief  pleas- 
ure is  in  thinking  what  he  would  do  to  his  enemies 
— men  and  women — were  they  in  his  power." 

"  How  much  a  man  must  have  suffered  before  he 
speaks  thus,  even  in  jest,'*  answered  the  philosophic 
Pagolo ;  "  for  he  has  too  good  a  digestion  to  be 
really  bad  at  heart.  Talking  of  digestion,  I  would 
that  Ramiro  were  here  with  his  supper." 

"  You  spoke  of  accompanying  him  on  some  ex- 
cursion last  night." 


172  VALENTINO. 

"  Ay,  a  fool's  errand  to  Castel  del  Moro." 

"  Hidden  treasure  again  ?  " 

"  Ghosts  this  time  ;  Eamiro  said  that  thieves  had 
found  refuge  in  it,  and  had  been  taken  for  goblins 
by  a  patrol.  I  said,  '  I  will  take  a  score  of  men 
and  bring  you  whatever  is  there.'  '  So  be  it,'  he 
answered,  adding  that  he  would  go  with  me  for  the 
sake  of  the  night  ride.  An  hour  brought  us  to  the 
ruin,  and  a  more  plague -stricken  spot  I  never  be- 
held." 

"Nor  I  who  digged  through  its  foundations  for 
the  sake  of  that  dying  soldier's  story." 

"And  you  left  the  subterranean  passages  ob- 
structed, and  the  wet  has  gathered  and  soaked  till 
there  is  an  odor  of  decay  about  the  very  stones. 
We  searched  the  cellars  and  found  only  lizards  and 
toads,  thence  I  led  the  way  up  some  winding  steps  ; 
an  owl  on  the  rampart  gave  a  cry — something  be- 
fore me  moved,  I  drew  pistol  and  fired — all  was 
still — then  the  soldiers  behind  came  clambering 
after  bearing  torches.  Absurd  as  it  was  to  be 
alarmed,  the  men  were  under  great  excitement.  I 
sought  to  reassure  them,  and  Bamiro  ordered  all 
to  the  upper  chambers.  We  climbed  over  fallen 
stones  to  that  steep  bend  which  leads  by  a  sort  of 
fox  burrow  to  the  terrace.  Whilst  we  were  peer- 
ing about,  the  rain  burst  upon  us,  and  it  became 
impossible  to  keep  the  torches  alight  except  under 
cover.  Ramiro  swore  at  the  men  and  ordered  them 


A  FALCOtf  HUNT.  173 

on,  while  I  remained  alone  a  moment  looking 
around  me  ;  and  will  you  believe  it,  I  saw " 

The  door  opened,  and  Ramiro  d'Orco,  dressed 
with  unusual  ornament,  entered. 

"  A  thousand  pardons  for  having  kept  you  wait- 
ing," he  began,  "  'tis  not  my  fault,  as  I  have  but 
this  moment  left  Valentino's  study.  He  was  tun- 
ing a  guitar  when  I  came  in,  whence  I  inferred 
that  the  business  to  which  he  had  summoned  me 
would  be  brief ;  but  it  lasted  an  hour.  May  we 
lay  our  little  spread  on  this  table  ?  "  he  continued, 
as  servants  followed  bearing  wicker  baskets. 

"  Lay  on  in  the  name  of  all  the  saints,  and  never 
was  visitor  more  welcome." 

The  governor  laughed. 

"  May  the  contents  of  the  panniers  prove  to  your 
taste,"  he  said,  throwing  aside  his  hat  and  sword. 
"  It  is  the  result  of  a  levy  on  two  refractory  house- 
holds— the  tit-bits  from  each." 

The  domestics  were  busy  with  the  table  service, 
and  the  three  officers  had  seated  themselves,  when 
llamiro  interrupted  their  chat,  and  with  a  humor- 
ous smile,  unusual  to  his  stern  physiognomy,  ex- 
claimed, 

"  Hark,  the  guitar — Cesare  is  about  to  sing,  we 
can  hear  him  from  the  hall." 

"  It  must  be  the  song  I  left  him  composing  this 
morning,"  whispered  Pagolo,  as  they  rose. 

"Another   of    his    ballads,"   answered    Eamiro 


174  VALENTINO. 

under  his  breath ;  "  he  writes  a  couplet  a  day  when 
in  good  humor." 

A  prelude  of  mournful  sweetness  filled  the  air ; 
then  the  familiar  voice  sang  the  following  stanzas 
with  tender  and  lingering  expression  : 

Je  t'ay  bien  ayme,  ma  mye,  bien  aymee  ; 
Et  mon  cueur  bat  d'yvresse  et  d'envye 
Quand  ton  bel  souvenir  me  souryt. — 
Ce  fust  ail  renouveau,  emmy  les  fleurs 
Nous  fusmes  au  printems  de  la  vie, 
A  1'appel  respondirent  nos  cueurs, 
Tu  me  donnas  une  fleur  et  un  bayser. 

Aujourdhuy  c'est  le  triste  yver  qui  chante. 
Seule  fleur  ce  soir  est  de  toy  la  pensee, 
Et  ce  soir  de  ta  vive  ymaige  animee 
Je  te  vois — je  sens  ta  voix  charraante, 
Ton  regard  altier,  le.  parfuin  de  tes  levres, 
De  ceste  jeunesse  renaist  les  Sevres — 
Je  t'ai  bien  ayme,  ma  mye,  bien  aymee. 

"  French,"  ejaculated  Pagolo  ;  "  heretofore  he 
has  rendered  his  doggerel  in  our  own  tongue." 

"A  droll  theme  for  one  who  has  debauched  so 
many  virtues,"  remarked  Ramiro. 

"  Nay,"  answered  Gravina,  "  to  a  roue  there  is 
no  memory  so  poignant  as  that  of  the  girl  he  first 
kissed — and  who  escaped  him." 

They  returned  to  the  supper  from  which  the 
Orsini  could  no  longer  have  been  kept,  however 
sweet  a  bird  had  carolled.  An  appetizer  of  lobster 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  175 

was  followed  by  a  saddle  of  mutton,  a  brace  of 
pheasants,  a  ham,  and  preserved  fruits. 

"Valentino  could  have  had  nothing  of  conse- 
quence to  say  if  he  required  an  hour  to  talk," 
remarked  Gravina ;  "  when  important  things  are 
to  be  dispatched,  his  speech  is  brief  as  a  rep- 
artee." 

"  Mere  details,"  answered  Ramiro.  "  He  has 
been  inspecting  at  Imola,  and  after  some  play  here 
with  your  pretty  battalions,  he  intends  to  bring 
Vitellozzo  and  Oliverotto  to  this  neighborhood, 
and  you  are  to  do  great  things." 

"  Against  Florence,  of  course  ;  which  puts  us  in 
an  embarrassing  attitude  towards  King  Louis." 

"  Cesare  will  act  first  and  explain  afterwards  ; 
besides,  the  French  alliance  was  a  temporary  make- 
shift." 

"It  were  with  ill  grace  Louis  should  move 
against  his  sister's  husband." 

"  What  sort  of  woman  is  Charlotte  d'Albret  ?  " 
asked  Gravina.  "Will  she  never  come  to  Italy?" 

"  I  have  heard  from  Ives  d'Allegre  that  she  is  a 
woman  with  no  aim  or  occupation  or  interest  in 
life ;  but  on  one  point  she  is  decided :  three  days 
with  Borgia  were  sufficient ;  she  vows  she  will 
never  look  him  in  the  face  again." 

The  brothers  laughed,  while  the  more  serious 
Kamiro  continued  to  describe  Valentino's  pungent 
married  life.  His  narrative  was  nearly  at  an  end, 


176  VALENTINO. 

and  the  fowls  were  picked  to  the  bone,  when  an 
officer  entered,  and  saluting  Eamiro,  said, 

"  She  has  arrived." 

"  Ha !  "  exclaimed  Eamiro,  "  it  is  a  girl  from 
Ferrara,  in  whom  Cesare  takes  such  interest  that 
he  sent  a  troop  to  meet  her  on  the  road  to  Home. 
I  learned  that  much  from  Michelotto." 

The  door  again  opened,  and  Cesare's  major- 
domo,  Don  Jayme  de  Eesequenz,  bowed  and  said, 
"  The  duke  desires  the  governor's  presence." 

"  So  soon,"  muttered  Eamiro ;  "  quick,"  he 
added,  speaking  to  the  servants,  "  a  basin  of  water." 
He  washed  his  hands — a  necessary  observance 
before  forks  were  used — and  promising  to  rejoin 
his  companions,  strode  across  to  Cesare's  apart- 
ment. 

Valentino  was  seated  at  a  spacious  table  strewn 
with  letters  ;  in  the  middle  was  a  wooden  writing- 
case  containing  ink,  a  bundle  of  quills,  seals,  wax, 
a  taper,  and  parchment  paper ;  beside  it  were  two 
tin  water-proof  cylinders  in  which  important  docu- 
ments were  carried.  Before  him  was  seated  Can- 
dale,  splashed  and  travel-stained. 

"  Eamiro,"  said  the  duke,  as  that  personage 
entered,  "  listen  to  this." 

"  I  was  giving  an  account  of  my  journey  to 
Eome,"  explained  the  Spaniard,  with  a  salutation 
to  his  colleague.  "At  Urbino  a  cavalry  escort 
met  us,  and  we  proceeded  without  further  concern. 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  177 

I  was  charged  with  the  safety  of  a  lady.  The  fifth 
day  five  horsemen  came  in  view  behind  us.  They 
halted  ;  we  were  but  twelve  in  number,  and  I  sup- 
posed them  the  advance  of  a  pursuit  we  expected. 
In  that  moment's  pause  the  lady  began  screaming, 
and  galloped  off,  leaving  no  choice  but  to  follow. 
Whoever  the  men  were,  they  did  not  pursue  us 
farther." 

"You  lost  your  head  as  badly  as  did  your 
charge,"  said  Cesare.  "You  and  half  the  men 
could  have  made  an  end  of  the  knaves,  Eamiro.  I 
summoned  you,  that  you  may  scatter  light  horse 
southward,  and  bring  me  those  five  fellows." 

And  Ramiro  having  withdrawn,  Cesare  returned 
to  the  story  of  the  attempt  to  seize  Elvira,  which 
Candale  had  been  briefly  relating. 

On  the  evening  of  the  eighth  day  after  Bamiro's 
supper  with  the  Orsiui,  a  rough  clad  man  bearing 
a  basket  and  armed  with  cross-bow  slung  at  the 
back,  trudged  out  of  Forli,  and  gained  the  wood 
that  lies  to  the  north  of  the  city ;  his  progress  be- 
came more  difficult  as  he  proceeded,  and  often  he 
stopped  in  the  twilight,  seeking  some  indication  of 
his  course.  After  an  eight-mile  tramp,  he  came  in 
sight  of  some  rocks  over  the  top  of  which  a  watch- 
man was  peeping,  and  on  making  his  way  to  the 
farther  side,  he  found  an  officer  preparing  a  fire, 
while  a  soldier  dressed  a  piece  of  meat  for  the 
8* 


178  VALENTINO. 

evening  repast,  and  another  trimmed  branches  for 
fuel. 

"  Fieschi ! "  exclaimed  he  by  the  fire,  rising  and 
holding  out  his  hand,  "you  are  indeed  welcome." 

"And  glad  am  I  to  be  here,"  said  the  newcomer  ; 
"I  feared  for  my  life  at  every  hour  in  Forli." 

Seating  themselves  apart  from  their  followers 
the  two  fell  into  whispered  discourse. 

The  pursuit  which  Candale  described  had  been 
made  by  the  five  men  from  a  hiding-place  in  the 
Apennines  where  Oliverotto  had  stationed  them 
to  receive  Elvira  in  case  of  her  abduction  by 
Brazos,  of  which  the  dwarf  had  informed  him.  On 
the  failure  of  the  plot,  Pulcio  had  sent  to  their 
captain,  indicating  the  direction  taken  by  the  fugi- 
tives. Fieschi,  finding  his  object  guarded  by  a 
larger  escort  than  the  jester  had  described,  had 
given  over  further  pursuit,  and  both  he  and  his 
colleague  Campana  would  have  abandoned  so  per- 
ilous an  adventure,  but  for  the  thought  of  their 
captain's  displeasure. 

Giulia  Farnese  had  explained  the  Estense's 
abrupt  departure  to  the  Pontiff  with  the  words, 
"Your  son's  mistress  has  gone  to  join  him  ;"  and 
the  indifference  with  which  the  venerable  debau- 
chee listened,  revealed  to  Giulia  the  error  of  her 
suspicion,  and  to  Pulcio  she  now  forbade  the  men- 
tion of  their  failure. 

Fieschi  and  Campana,  followed  by  their  three 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  179 

troopers,  had  turned  aside  from  the  highway  and 
had  taken  refuge  in  the  thicket  where  we  now  find 
them.  The  plan  to  seize  Elvira  in  the  garden  of  the 
Isotella  palace,  had  been  dismissed  as  beyond  their 
daring.  The  two  confederates  had  ventured  into 
the  city  in  search  of  information,  whence  Campana 
returned  without  other  result  than  a  hair-breadth 
escape  from  a  patrol;  but  Fieschi  had  made  his 
way  to  a  trattoria  kept  by  a  fine-looking  woman 
with  whom  his  acquaintance  was  not  of  recent 
date.  Concealed  off  the  large  room  in  which  her 
visitors  seated  themselves  for  refreshment  and 
gossip,  he  gathered  an  outline  of  a  gala-day  in  the 
fields  which  Cesare  had  commanded  for  Elvira's 
amusement.  A  groom  mentioned  the  number  of 
attendants,  a  thirsty  horseman  boasted  of  being 
one  of  the  corps  d 'elite  which  should  be  stationed 
where  it  was  proposed  to  hunt,  a  pastry  cook  made 
the  mouths  of  his  auditors  water  by  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  dishes  for  a  repast  al  fresco. 

"We  will  watch  the  edge  of  this  wood,"  said 
Fieschi,  closing  the  recital  of  the  particulars  he 
had  gathered ;  "  the  birds  may  fly  hither,  the 
falcons  will  indicate  the  course  of  the  cavalcade, 
one  may  presume  this  girl  will  be  at  the  front ;  as 
for  the  attendants,  galloping  scatters  them." 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning, 
Cesare,  accompanied  by  Francesco  Orsini,  Miche- 


180  VALENTINO. 

lotto  and  Candale,  and  followed  by  pages  and  at- 
tendants bearing  the  hooded  falcons  of  the  chase, 
rode  to  the  palace  where  Elvira  had  been  lodged, 
and  where  she  mounted  the  white  palfrey  selected 
for  her.  The  fatigue  of  her  flight  through  the 
Apennines  and  the  tension  of  her  last  hours  in 
Rome  had  produced  a  nervous  prostration.  Cesare 
sent  to  inquire  after  her  health,  and  on  the  third 
day,  returning  from  a  drill  of  Gravina's  troops,  he 
stopped  to  dissuade  Elvira  from  immediately  pro- 
ceeding to  Ferrara,  and  advised  awaiting  her  du- 
enna ;  reverting  to  something  she  had  once  said  of 
the  chase,  he  proposed  a  falcon  hunt.  He  made 
no  allusion  to  the  events  of  that  Sunday  night, 
merely  remarking : 

"  You  will  find  Forli  a  pleasanter  residence  than 
the  Vatican,  and  as  for  Donna  Innocenta,  here  is  a 
letter  from  Giulia  Farnese,  saying  she  mends  fast, 
and  expressing  the  belief  that  the  miscreants  who 
disturbed  her  will  presently  be  brought  to  light." 
He  left  to  return  on  the  morrow,  inquiring  if  she 
yet  felt  equal  to  a  day  in  the  fields ;  they  strolled 
awhile  up  and  down  the  garden,  and  continued 
the  promenade  the  day  after. 

Said  Don  Michele  :  "  That  woman  will  yet  do 
Valentino  as  much  mischief  as  he  can  bring  her ; 
he  has  never  been  so  neglectful  of  affairs." 

"I  attended  him  to  the  practice  of  Gravina's 
cross-bowmen,"  remarked  Candale,  "and  he  took 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  181 

no  more  heed  of  their  shooting  than  had  they  been 
barking  dogs." 

A  galaxy  of  brilliant  figures  they  rode  out  of  the 
town,  with  horses  gaudily  caparisoned,  the  hunts- 
men bearing  falcons  and  a  guard  of  troopers  follow- 
ing. To  Elvira,  the  sunshine,  the  balmy  air,  the 
violet  tints  of  the  Apennines  were  as  grateful  as 
the  sense  of  security  after  danger. 

"How  fragrant  is  the  breeze  that  comes  from  the 
mountains,"  she  exclaimed,  her  face  flushing  with 
enjoyment. 

"It  is  sweeter  than  the  perfume  of  wine,"  an- 
swered the  matter-of-fact  Gravina. 

"  And  will  it  be  clear  till  evening  ?  " 

"  Yes,  for  the  sun  dispelled  the  clouds  ere  he  had 
run  an  hour  on  his  course." 

"Such  a  day  brings  a  pang  with  its  briefness 
and  beauty ;  one  thinks  of  the  things  that  make  it 
happy  and  that  pass  with  it." 

"You  should  be  a  painter,"  laughed  Valentino, 
"  to  catch  the  fleeting  brilliance." 

They  turned  from  the  highway  and  rode  towards 
a  glade  where  Cesare,  unknown  to  his  fair  guest, 
had  stationed  men  with  cages  of  captive  birds. 
Two  pheasants  rose,  apparently  from  the  branches, 
and  Elvira  set  free  the  falcon  which  had  been 
placed  hooded  upon  her  hand,  and  the  fierce  little 
creature,  with  one  nervous  glance  around,  dashed 
away  in  pursuit. 


182  VALENTINO. 

"Let  slip  yours  too,  Michelotto,"  said  Borgia, 
"  or  that  second  escapes ; "  he  busied  himself 
meanwhile  with  his  own  falcon,  which  was  an 
exceptional  gamester,  reserved  for  serious  com- 
bats. 

Don  Michele's  bird  was  off  like  an  arrow,  and 
the  pheasants,  dividing  slightly  in  their  flight, 
the  cavalcade  became  similarly  separated,  Cesare 
and  Elvira  and  Gravina  hastening  after  the  first 
falcon,  and  Candale  galloping  in  the  direction  taken 
by  Michelotto's.  It  was  a  brief  course,  the  pheas- 
ants being  quickly  overtaken.  The  falcons  had  not 
yet  returned  when  three  pigeons  arose. 

"  A  hundred  sequins  my  Hector  takes  them  all !" 
cried  Gravina. 

"Accepted,"  answered  Cesare,  and  the  Orsini 
rode  after  his  bird,  which  having  killed  one  pigeon 
turned  in  pursuit  of  the  second,  while  the  third, 
profiting  by  the  moment's  opportunity,  flew  swiftly 
in  an  opposite  direction. 

And  now  from  the  well-stocked  grove  appeared 
an  eaglet,  which  after  an  upward  half  circle,  direct- 
ed its  course  towards  the  Apennines.  Candale 
from  a  neighboring  field  dispatched  his  falcon,  and 
Cesare  unhooded  "  Romulus." 

The  hawks  gained  upon  their  prey,  and  the  king 
of  birds  became  conscious  of  impending  attack. 
Wheeling  abruptly,  he  darted  upon  Candale's  fal- 
con, which  was  the  nearest,  and  would  have  over- 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  183 

powered  his  assailant,  but  for  the  arrival  of 
"  Romulus,"  who  joined  with  beak  and  talons  in 
the  fray — and  feathers  were  seen  to  fall,  and  cries 
distinctly  heard.  "Romulus"  decided  the  contest; 
taking  advantage  of  an  instant  when  their  foe's 
attention  was  occupied  by  his  companion,  he  darted 
upward  and  fastened  his  talons  in  the  eagle's  back, 
the  latter  freed  himself  with  a  violent  plunge,  and 
abandoning  the  battle,  flew  northward  pursued  by 
his  assailants. 

"  Quick,  thy  bow ! "  exclaimed  Cesare  to  an 
archer ;  he  sent  the  shaft  straight  towards  the 
eagle,  but  at  a  few  hand-breadths  from  its  mark, 
the  arrow  ceased  its  upward  course  and  dropped 
back.  The  cavalcade  now  became  divided,  the 
more  ardent  far  in  front,  the  guards  and  servants 
cantering  after  in  no  haste  to  go  far  from  the  ap- 
pointed rendezvous,  where  a  bite  and  sup  awaited 
the  humblest.  In  approaching  the  wood,  they 
plunged  together  among  the  trees,  Borgia  leading, 
Michelotto  some  distance  to  the  left,  Candale  still 
farther  beyond  him,  Elvira  a  few  lengths  behind, 
and  all  were  instantly  lost  to  the  sight  of  their  fol- 
lowers. 

Michelotto,  Candale,  and  Cesare  heard  it,  a  faint 
cry  of  alarm,  but  Cesare  alone  divined  what  was 
occurring.  Now  there  was  an  ominous  silence,  and 
they  dashed  at  random  this  way  and  that.  Miche- 
lotto was  the  first  to  come  upon  the  spot  where 


184  VALENTINO. 

Elvira  had  run  full  upon  those  who  had  gathered 
as  she  approached,  and  who  had  sprung  upon  her, 
silenced  her,  and  were  tying  a  thong  about  her 
wrists. 

"  Be  off  with  her  quick,"  cried  one  of  the  men, 
drawing  his  sword  and  wiping  the  blood  from  a 
gash  in  his  face  that  Elvira's  stiletto  had  made. 

"To  the  rescue,"  shouted  Don  Michele,  un- 
sheathing his  own  blade  as  they  spurred  their 
horses  upon  one  another,  while  Elvira  and  her 
captors  disappeared  in  the  greenwood. 

This  combat  would  have  proved  a  difficult  one 
for  the  Spaniard,  armed  as  he  was  with  only  an 
ornamental  fleuret,  while  his  antagonist  wielded  a 
long  and  heavy  sword,  but  for  the  arrival  of  Can- 
dale,  when,  without  further  ado,  the  condottiere 
wheeled  about  and  galloped  off,  hoping  to  draw 
their  pursuit  after  himself;  in  this  he  was  for  a 
few  moments  successful,  but  the  steeds  of  his  pur- 
suers were  no  match  for  a  fresh  horse,  and  their 
riders  presently  drew  bridle. 

"  Call  the  guards,"  said  Michelotto  to  Candale, 
"  whilst  I  hasten  after  the  men  that  seized  Donna 
Elvira ;  they  cannot  have  led  her  far." 

In  this  conjecture  he  was  right,  and  for  the  rea- 
son that  Cesare  had  ridden  into  their  little  group. 
When  Don  Michele  arrived  upon  the  scene,  there 
were  three  persons  in  view.  Elvira  dismounted, 
or  fallen  from  her  horse,  Cesare  supporting  her  in 


A   FALCON  HUNT.  185 

his  arms,  while  a  few  paces  distant  lay  Fieschi 
dead,  with  a  thrust  of  Valentino's  blade  through 
his  heart ;  the  men  had  taken  flight  upon  the  fall 
of  their  leader.  Michelotto  laughed  to  himself  as, 
through  the  branches,  he  caught  the  first  words 
that  Elvira  uttered — 

"  You  are  splendid !  "  she  cried  aloud,  and  Ce- 
sare's  answer,  "  I  knew  not  till  now  that  I  love 
you." 

Michelotto,  Candale,  and  a  score  of  troopers  and 
servants  appeared,  and  Elvira  was  raised  to  her 
saddle  ;  having  seen  her  cared  for,  and  ordered  his 
lieutenants  to  escort  her,  Cesare  galloped  back  to 
Forli,  called  del  Nero,  told  him  what  had  happened, 
bade  him  add  as  many  soldiers  to  his  band  as  he 
pleased,  and  never  give  over  the  chase.  The  next 
morning  the  condottiere  returned,  and  after  some 
hasty  questions  and  answers  as  to  the  result  of  his 
search,  made  the  following  report. 

When  I  found  the  trace  we  followed  it  to  a  camp, 
and  thence  across  a  brook  where  were  the  prints 
of  four  horses,  showing  that  the  man  who  crossed 
swords  with  Don  Michele  had  fallen  in  with  his 
comrades.  We  continued  at  a  trot,  till  at  the 
Campodifiori  cross  roads  it  became  a  guess  had 
they  turned  right  or  left;  as  we  were  twenty,  I 
sent  ten  to  the  left,  and  took  the  right  with  the 
others.  Passing  Castel  del  Moro,  Felipe  remarked 
a  man  would  take  refuge  there,  so  we  surrounded 


186  VALENTINO. 

the  place.  It  was  dark  now,  but  we  had  lanterns. 
I  fear  nothing — but  a  ghost  is  not  to  be  trifled  with. 
In  the  main  building  all  was  deserted,  and  we  had 
just  reached  the  top,  when  a  great  light  flared  on 
the  wall,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  appeared  Satan 
himself,  horns,  tail,  red  eyes — and  from  overhead 
came  a  peal  of  laughter  ;  then  the  light  faded,  the 
spectre  vanished,  and  we  tumbled  over  one  another 
till  we  were  out  of  the  place  and  astride  our 
horses. 

Occasionally  meeting  a  patrol,  we  rode  as  far  as 
the  town,  questioning  the  guards  and  searching  the 
few  houses.  It  came  to  be  sunrise,  and  I  thought 
to  rest  an  hour  at  an  hostelry  within  the  gate. 
While  the  woman  served,  she  that  is  mistress  of 
the  house,  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes  :  "  What  is 
amiss,  commadre  ? "  I  asked,  and  she  answered 
her  cat  had  died,  and  sobbed,  and  said  it  mat- 
tered not.  I  watched  her  keenly  while  remark- 
ing, "  There  was  a  fine  young  fellow  killed  in  the 
woods  yesterday,  and  we  are  after  his  mate — had 
she  seen  one  or  more  cavaliers?"  and  she  changed 
color,  and  her  hand  trembled. 

"  Speak  out,"  I  thundered,  "  or  you  shall  learn 
the  duke  has  means  to  loosen  stiff  tongues." 

Then  she  burst  out  crying,  and  dropped  on  her 
knees,  and  vowed  it  was  no  affair  of  hers — a  man 
had  arrived  on  foot  at  dark  with  his  head  bound 
and  a  bleeding  gash  down  his  face,  and  he  asked 


A  FALCON  HUNT.  187 

for  a  leech,  saying  he  could  go  no  farther.  So  she 
called  the  blacksmith,  who  presently  heating  a 
nail  red  hot,  caught  a  moment  when  the  other's 
eyes  were  closed,  and  was  going  to  draw  the  iron 
along  the  cut,  but  at  the  first  touch  the  stranger 
gave  a  yell,  bounded  out  into  the  street  and  was 
seen  no  more.  She  declared  with  many  protes- 
tations she  knew  him  not,  so  I  left  three  men  to 
guard  her  and  hastened  hither. 

"She  shall  be  made  to  tell,"  mused  Borgia. 
"  Ramiro  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  take  her  to  the  castle 
and  put  her  to  the  question — and  haste,  minutes 
are  precious.  Have  you  heard  nothing,  Candale, 
from  the  patrols?  " 

"  Only  that  the  country  for  miles  swarms  with 
them,  and  that  the  dead  officer  has  been  recognized 
as  captain  of  a  troop  of  horse  in  Oliverotto's 
corps." 

Valentino,  Don  Michele,  and  del  Nero  listened 
with  amaze  to  this  declaration,  but  it  only  added 
a  motive  for  persuading  the  woman  to  speak — alas 
for  her  ! — the  woman  for  whom  the  question  was 
to  be  made  ready. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AEEZZO. 

THE  Tuscan  campaign,  for  months  anticipated  by 
Borgia's  lieutenants,  and  apprehended  by  the  Ke- 
public  which  was  its  aim,  was  opened  later  in  the 
season  than  either  had  expected.  A  new  amour 
could  divert  even  Borgia  from  the  crisis  of  his  de- 
signs, and  not  till  the  end  of  May  were  Cesare's 
armaments  perfected,  and  the  battalions  and  squad- 
rons moved  into  convenient  -proximity  without 
making  a  threatening  assemblage  at  any  single 
point.  Cesare  was  ever  slow  in  making  ready,  ac- 
cording to  his  maxim : 

The  more  time  to  prepare,  the  less  to  execute. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
Republic  of  Florence  had  reached  a  critical  degree 
of  inaptness  in  arms.  The  old  strength  still  ex- 
isted, but  the  pacific  policy  of  the  Medici  had  soft- 
ened her  mettle  ;  an  eight  years'  struggle  with  her 
sturdy  little  Pisan  rival  had  drained  the  last  re- 
maining military  resource ;  the  strife  of  Guelph 
and  Ghibelline  for  power,  and  the  bitterness  of  in- 
dividual feuds,  had  poisoned  the  spirit  not  only  of 
her  citizens,  but  of  the  villages  and  valleys  of  Tus- 


AREZZO.  189 

cany.  Patriotism,  though  always  narrow,  had  once 
been  deep  ;  now,  its  conception  was  contained  in  the 
defence  of  a  space  the  eye  could  coyer. 

Dante  never  imagined  a  united  Italy ;  and  Machi- 
avelli,  the  most  profound  and  astute  commentator 
upon  the  affairs  of  the  Peninsula,  aspired  to  a  league 
of  republics  as  the  loftiest  ideal.  Both  were  Floren- 
tines, both  present  to  us  the  pulse,  the  measure, 
the  accent  of  their  time  ;  the  latter  understood  bet- 
ter than  any  other  of  his  age  the  source  of  Italian 
weakness  and  its  remedy ;  yet  he  finds  it  in  him  to 
give  this  sinister  counsel  to  King  Louis  :  "  If  you 
would  retain  Milan,  kill  the  head  of  every  leading 
family  " — a  speech  more  significant  of  degradation, 
when  considered  as  the  utterance  of  an  Italian 
statesman  prescribing  to  an  invader  the  means  of 
perpetuating  the  subjection  of  an  Italian  city — than 
the  mere  analysis  and  classification  of  accepted 
theories  as  set  forth  in  his  celebrated  treatise 
upon  force  and  fraud,  II  Principe. 

And  now  before  a  commonwealth  thus  stripped 
of  sword  and  buckler,  and  distraught  by  a  thousand 
hates,  appeared  the  menace  of  French  invasion 
from  the  north  ;  while  to  the  southward  gathered 
the  bands  of  the  stealthy  son  of  the  Church.  The 
impending  attack  had  been  so  long  threatening,  the 
campaign  season  was  so  far  advanced  without  even 
a  menacing  concentration,  that  hostilities  seemed 
deferred  at  least  until  autumn. 


190  VALENTINO. 

On  the  first  of  June,  Oliverotto's  division  still  lay 
cantoned  at  distant  Camerino  ;  the  corps  under  Vi- 
tellozzo  was  distributed  through  his  little  tenure  of 
Citta  di  Caste llo  ;  at  Imola,  Borgia  was  expected  to 
resume  drills  and  inspections.  Suddenly  the  columns 
of  the  Orsini  traversed  the  Apennines  and  joined 
with  Vitellozzo  ;  a  cavalry  division  under  Candale 
crossed  the  frontier  ;  a  hired  band  of  conspirators 
raised  a  tumult  in  Arezzo,  the  town  most  imme- 
diately exposed  to  attack  ;  its  commandant  sent  for 
succor ;  but  with  a  force  ten  times  his  own  with- 
out, and  defection  within,  he  yielded  on  the  third 
day.  Vitellozzo  entered  at  the  head  of  his  corps, 
amid  strains  of  martial  music — rude,  harsh,  stri- 
dent, and  suited  to  the  grim  soldiery  that  trudged 
behind  him  dust-covered  and  travel-stained,  but 
with  weapons  and  armor  faultless  in  kind  and  con- 
dition. After  them  rode  Candale  with  long  files  of 
horsemen  and  the  cannon  train  of  Urbino.  The 
arms  of  the  Church  were  both  long  and  strong  in 
those  days,  and  the  timid  townsfolk,  confronted  by 
invasion  after  many  years  of  repose,  looked  on  with 
silent  and  sombre  forebodings.  But  they  were 
presently  relieved  from  immediate  alarm. 

Vitellozzo,  albeit  in  Borgia's  pay,  and  command- 
ing the  vanguard  of  his  army,  had  personal  aspira- 
tions not  included  within  the  scope  o'f  his  employer's 
programme  ;  he  intended  to  annex  Arezzo  to  his 
own  adjacent  patrimony,  in  realization  of  a  long- 


AREZZO.  191 

nursed  project,  which  now,  thus  easily  effected, 
doubled  his  acres  at  a  stroke.  He  possessed  an 
independent  barony  at  Citta  di  Castello,  where 
were  his  wife,  his  children,  and  his  worldly  goods, 
and  where  it  was  easy  to  hold  undisputed  mastery, 
provided  he  owned  allegiance  to  some  prince  or 
state  able  to  shield  him  in  emergency. 

The  ominous  thought  had  lately  forced  itself 
upon  him  that  Urbino  and  Camerino  were  also  al- 
lies and  under  the  protection  of  Home,  and  what 
costly  and  sanguinary  protection  had  it  proved ! 
Of  Cesare's  lieutenants  the  roughest  and  the  most 
reckless  of  speech,  one  tender  emotion  remained — 
love  for  his  wife,  his  little  Anselmo,  and  the  seri- 
ous-eyed Francesca.  A  lifetime  passed  amid  scenes 
of  bloodshed  and  extortion  had  hardened  the  man, 
till  but  that  one  responsive  spot  remained.  Yet 
whoever  had  seen  them,  Vitellozzo,  Anselmo,  and 
Francesca,  the  three  at  play  together  in  the  or- 
chard, tossing  apples  towards  the  tree  tops,  or  at 
the  mill-pond  launching  mimic  argosies,  or  in  some 
hayfield  chasing  one  another  with  peals  of  mirth, 
might  have  deemed  them  young  of  heart  and  guile- 
less one  as  the  other. 

To  be  with  them,  and  with  the  gentle  helpmate 
who  was  the  peaceful  centre  of  his  stormy  life, 
was  Vitellozzo's  only  pleasure,  apart  from  the 
triumphs  of  his  profession ;  to  add  to  the  extent 
and  consideration  of  his  tenure  for  Anselmo's 


192  VALENTINO. 

sake,  was  now  his  absorbing  aim — his  only  mo- 
tive for  continuing  in  the  career  of  arms.  It 
was  as  yet  a  diminutive  possession.  His  palace 
was  insignificant.  His  castle  was  of  the  uncom- 
promising architecture  of  the  time — a  couple  of 
plain  towers,  a  central  keep,  and  surrounding  walls 
pierced  on  one  side  by  the  main  gate,  on  another 
by  a  postern  which  commanded  the  ravine  below. 
Around  were  two  or  three  hundred  houses,  a  couple 
of  churches,  a  monastery,  a  windmill.  Such  was 
Citta  di  Castello.  Such  it  is  still,  save  that  the 
windmill  is  replaced  by  clumsier  modern  mechan- 
ism, the  monastery  converted  to  a  public  school, 
the  palace  to  a  wayside  inn,  the  castle  grown  hoary 
and  seamed  with  age. 

Vitellozzo  had  bidden  farewell  to  his  wife  with 
good  cheer,  to  Francesca  with  a  caress,  to  Anselmo 
with  a  jesting  promise  : 

"Little  rogue,  thou  shalt  be  Prince  of  Arezzo 
ere  the  new  moon."  And  he  kissed  them  all  ten- 
derly, and  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  away. 

The  cold-blooded  Candale  was  not  astonished  at 
Vitellozzo's  greedy  humor  about  "my  conquest  at 
Arezzo ; " — he  had  seen  too  many  strange  things  to 
be  any  more  surprised,  but  he  listened  and  watched. 
And  now  arrived  the  two  Orsini  with  their  sturdy 
regiments,  and  after  came  the  harpies  that  scent 
the  spoils.  These  were  Pandolfo  Petrucci  of 
Siena,  Baglioni,  Prince  of  Perugia,  having  as  aide- 


AREZZO.  193 

de-cam,p  the  young  Fabio  Orsini,  and  lastly  Cardi- 
nal de  Medici  and  Piero  de  Medici,  both  girded  for 
a  triumphal  entry  into  Florence,  its  government 
overthrown,  its  demagogues  chastised,  its  haughty 
pride  humbled. 

Yitellozzo,  with  his  companions-in-arms  and  his 
self-invited  guests,  rode  around  the  town  surveying 
it  as  one  who  takes  note  of  a  house  just  acquired. 
And  in  the  exultation  of  a  long-coveted  possession 
he  cried  aloud, 

"  This  shall  be  a  Princedom  for  my  Anselmuccio." 

But  Candale  looked  grave,  and  answered,  "  Have 
we  not  jointly  taken  this  for  our  master,  and  is  it 
not  his  ?  " 

Then  Yitellozzo  swore  a  great  oath,  and  stop- 
ped them  all  as  they  trooped  across  the  rolling 
meadows,  and  said, 

"  The  lion's  share  is  enough  for  our  master  ;  let 
the  jackals  that  do  his  bidding  find  a  morsel  once 
in  their  lifetime." 

"  It  is  a  bold  course,"  again  objected  Candale. 

"  No  bolder  than  for  him  to  strip  the  tenements 
and  the  life  from  them  that  serve  him !  Have  you 
forgot  that  Guidobaldo  was  a  friend  ?  We  drove  him 
forth  houseless  after  a  trick  so  shameful  that  as  a 
soldier  I  despise  myself  for  having  shared  in 
it." 

"  He  was  lucky  to  escape  with  his  life,"  inter- 
posed Petrucci. 


194  VALENTINO. 

"And,"  continued  Vitellozzo,  whose  brain  seemed 
burdened  with  other  people's  grievances,  "and 
Camerino — was  not  Yerano  as  much  Cesare's  ser- 
vant as  I? — and  Cesare  had  him  and  his  son  stran- 
gled not  one  hundred  days  gone,  that  he  might 
own  their  humble  patch  of  land.  And  before  that, 
Pesaro  taken  from  an  ally,  and  Forli  from  a  woman, 
and  Faenza  from  the  Manfredi  he  had  promised  to 
protect,  and  Imola,  because  it  could  not  resist — is 
it  strange  if  I  wonder  who  shall  be  next  ? — Will  it 
be  you,  Pagolo,"  he  exclaimed,  turning  to  the  elder 
Orsini — "  you  whose  possessions  are  equal  to  the 
Borgias',  father  and  son  together  ?  " 

A  shade  passed  over  Pagolo' s  face  as  he  an- 
swered :  "  You  are  of  cheerless  humor ;  one  would 
think  you  had  lost  instead  of  taken  Arezzo ;  for 
myself,  I  fear  no  foe  and  dread  no  fortune;  but 
methinks  the  dullest  should  see  that  our  security 
with  Valentino  lies  in  that  we  are  instruments  not 
to  be  replaced." 

The  Medici  listened  to  this  dispute  with  keen 
relish ;  to  the  weak  there  is  no  music  so  sweet  as 
the  discord  of  the  strong. 

"  Hear  I  not  yonder  a  bugle  ?  "  interrupted  Can- 
dale,  chafing;  "let  us  ride  on." 

Said  Petrucci,  as  they  followed  at  a  little  dis- 
tance :  "  Poor  Vitellozzo,  his  temper  was  soured ; 
all  this  irritability  comes  from  that  letter  his — let 
me  think,  was  it  his  great-grandfather? " 


AEEZZO.  195 

"  His  great-grandfatlier's  uncle,"  corrected  Fabio 
Orsini. 

"  True ;  well,  I  cannot  wonder  he  thought  him- 
self the  victim  of  an  unfeeling  jest.  Fancy  a  sealed 
paper  handed  down  through  generations  towards  an 
unborn  descendant ;  imagine  yourself  that  favored 
heir ;  assume  that  you  have  heard  that  sacred  let- 
ter talked  of  in  boyhood,  and  have  impatiently 
waited  for  it  through  youth ;  picture  the  visions 
and  loves  and  conquests  you  have  built  upon  the 
treasure  it  is  to  reveal ;  open  that  letter  on  the 
appointed  day,  and,  instead  of  a  clue  to  the 
gold  of  the  Caliphs,  find  ten  sheets  of  good 
advice." 

"No  wonder,"  laughed  the  younger  Medici, 
"  that  for  a  day  or  two  he  vowed  he  would  join  the 
Barefoot  Friars." 

"He  would  have  made  a  stalwart  mendicant," 
assented  his  brother  the  cardinal,  with  his  eyes 
upon  Vitellozzo's  huge  proportions  ;  "  the  women 
would  all  have  confessed  to  him." 

"  Then  'tis  better  he  wait  till  time  consume  his 
fires,"  chuckled  Baglioni  of  Perugia.  "At  seventy 
he  will  make  a  grand  old  Monsignore." 

An  hour  later  half  a  dozen  of  them  sat  in  the 
bishop-governor's  castle,  still  clad  in  the  armor 
which  incased  them,  save  that  their  visors  were 
thrown  up,  and  their  gauntlets  laid  aside. 

Said  Candale :  "  We   should  profit  by  this  sur- 


196  VALENTINO. 

prise  and  hasten  on  at  dawn  to-morrow.  Valentino 
will  be  with  us  in  five  days,  and  you,  Vitellozzo, 
had  best  have  something  valuable  to  offer  if  you 
think  to  keep  this  to  yourself." 

The  experienced  Pagolo  joined  in  this  counsel : 
"  Let  us  move  this  afternoon,"  he  said,  "  on  Borgo 
San  Sepolcro,  and  assault  it  to-morrow."  Then, 
very  seriously  and  earnestly,  he  added,  "But  do 
not,  Vitellozzo,  take  this  capture  to  yourself.  It  is 
neither  yours  nor  mine.  It  was  the  first  object  and 
aim  of  us  all.  Why  should  you  more  than  another 
say,  This  prize  is  mine  ?  Ask  it  as  a  gift,  and  I 
will  urge  your  request,  but  till  then  be  it  our  com- 
mon gain." 

"Pagolo,"  answered  the  Condottiere  thus  ad- 
dressed, "  what  you  say  is  discreet,  and  according 
to  rule  and  custom,  and  it  lies  not  with  me  to  dis- 
tribute. But  this  shall  be  mine — to  the  dogs  with 
rule  and  custom.  This,"  he  continued  in  a  voice 
swelling  with  emotion,  "  I  have  watched  for  years. 
This  I  have  followed  in  its  little  growth,  planning 
how  it  should  increase  under  my  hand.  For  years 
this  has  been  my  purpose,  something  to  strive  for 
to-day,  something  to  occupy  my  declining  years 
hereafter.  And  now  I  have  my  desire,  my  troops 
hold  its  gates,  the  town  was  taken  without  blood- 
shed, the  citizens  will  not  couple  the  remembrance 
of  their  dead  with  their  thought  of  me,  the  longing 
of  hope  is  realized — and  in  the  first  pride  and  joy 


A&EZZO.  19? 

of  possession,  you  bid  me  stand  back — and  I  an- 
swer you  all,  beware !  " 

"Methinks,"  said  Gravina,  as  he  watched  the 
angered  Vitellozzo  pacing  up  and  down,  "  that  this 
is  not  ours  to  settle.  As  Pagolo  says,  let  us  to 
horse,  march  to  some  town,  I  care  not  which, 
thence  to  another,  till  we  come  upon  the  enemy,  or 
till  Cesare  arrive  to  direct  us." 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  an  hour  later  the  troop- 
ers of  Candale  departed  with  Vitellozzo's  corps, 
except  the  garrison  of  Arezzo,  following.  Pagolo 
Orsini  and  the  Duke  of  Gravina  came  after  with 
their  regiments,  their  relatives  the  Medici,  and 
the  chiefs  of  Siena  and  Perugia  in  their  midst 
casting  admiring  glances  at  the  artillery,  the  gift, 
as  it  was  facetiously  termed,  of  Guidobaldo.  All 
the  mounted  officers  were  cased  in  mail,  and  for 
the  most  part  in  black-painted  armor,  a  fashion  re- 
cently in  vogue.  Some  of  the  visors  were  worked 
in  droll  imitation  of  the  human  face,  Gravina's 
having  a  sharp,  aquiline  nose,  Candale's  wearing  a 
sinister  smile  upon  its  curving  iron  lips,  Pagolo' s  a 
solemn,  menacing  expression,  and  Vitellozzo's  be- 
ing of  such  weighty  construction  about  the  jaws  as 
to  give  the  head  a  boar-like  expression,  whence  his 
surname  among  the  soldiers — II  Cignale. 

The  troops  bivouacked  before  San  Sepolcro,  and 
lighting  a  line  of  fires  sat  down  to  supper,  while 
Gravina  advanced  and  summoned  the  garrison.  This 


198  VALENTINO. 

was  refused,  with  great  show  of  valor,  by  the  gov- 
ernor, who  had  never  seen  a  stroke  dealt  in  anger ; 
but  when  the  next  day's  sun  revealed  the  swarm- 
iog  masses  of  infantry  and  a  score  of  cannon  ready 
to  batter  his  vine-cumbered  walls — and  when  the 
carnage  of  an  assault  rose  to  his  imagination,  he 
opened  the  gates  and  bade  his  men  lay  down  their 
bloodless  arms. 

The  intelligence  of  the  capture  of  Arezzo  had 
been  promptly  dispatched  by  Candale  to  Valen- 
tino. By  changing  horses  at  relays  upon  the  rear 
of  the  army,  it  was  possible  for  the  messenger  to 
reach  Faenza  two  days  after  the  capture,  only  to 
find  that  Cesare  had  left  that  morning  for  Imola. 
The  rider  was  soaked  by  the  rain  which  had  been 
falling  for  some  hours,  but  mounting  a  fresh  horse, 
he  spurred  away  through  the  storm.  When  nearly 
in  sight  of  his  destination,  he  came  upon  a  caval- 
cade accompanying  a  travelling  carriage  which,  at 
that  time  in  Italy,  was  a  long  cart  on  four  wheels, 
without  pole  or  springs,  and  with  a  covering  of 
canvas  stretched  over  wooden  hoops.  From  it 
had  alighted  two  women,  and  it  could  be  seen  that 
one  of  the  supports  had  broken  and  that  the  cov- 
ering had  split,  exposing  the  interior  to  the  rain. 
Before  them  stood  a  young  man  who  had  sprung 
from  his  horse,  and  whom  the  messenger  recognized 
to  be  Valentino. 


AREZZO.  199 

"  We  shall  have  it  in  order  on  the  instant,"  he 
heard  Cesare  say,  as  the  rent  cover  was  tacked 
with  twine,  and  Elvira  and  her  maid,  wrapped  in 
trooper's  cloaks,  resumed  their  places :  the  caval- 
cade was  about  to  move,  when  Cesare's  glance  fell 
on  the  stranger,  whose  equipment  showed  him  to 
be  of  Candale's  troop. 

"  What  news  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  man  dismounted,  saluted,  and  said : 

"Arezzo  was  taken  two  days  since  without  loss." 

"Do  you  hear,  Elvira?"  exclaimed  the  duke, 
"  the  first  flower  of  this  campaign ; — it  shall  be 
yours."  Then  turning  to  the  soldier,  he  said : 

"  Follow  me  to  Imola,  and  you  shall  carry  back 
a  dispatch." 

At  Imola,  where  they  alighted  an  hour  later, 
Cesare  and  Elvira  pursued  their  talk  and  their 
pastimes  and  the  sports  that  were  ordered  for  their 
diversion  for  five  days,  with  ever  and  anon  a  decla- 
ration from  Cesare  that  on  the  morrow  he  would 
speed  to  the  field. 

At  last  came  a  morning  prolific  in  the  intelligence 
for  which  he  declared  himself  waiting.  First  a  let- 
ter from  the  Pope,  filled  with  suggestions  as  to  this 
new  enterprise,  and  correctly  predicting  that  the 
French  King  would  require  a  weighty  sop. 

"  My  counsel,"  wrote  the  old  statesman,  "  is  to 
strike  at  Florence  ;  take  it  by  assault,  and  then 
buy  off  the  French  ;  they  will  permit  the  complete 


209  VALENTINO. 

overthrow  of  their  ally  as  easily  as  attacks  upon 
her  frontier ;  and  the  one  will  be  no  more  costly 
than  the  other." 

Following  this  came  a  dispatch  from  d'Aubigny, 
forbidding,  in  the  King's  name,  any  further  aggres- 
sions upon  Florence,  and  announcing  the  departure 
of  a  force  of  two  thousand  French  and  three  thou- 
sand Swiss,  all  under  command  of  le  Sieur  Langres, 
to  the  relief  of  her  threatened  frontier.  The  King," 
concluded  the  writer,  "is  incensed  against  these 
condottieri,  who  have  plundered  so  many  princes, 
and  are  now  presuming  to  molest  the  domain  of  an 
ally  of  France." 

Next  arrived  a  cautious  epistle  from  Candale, 
dwelling  upon  Vitellozzo's  appropriation  of  Arezzo, 
and  hinting  at  lukewarmness  on  the  part  of  the 
Orsini,  whom  he  suspected  of  being  in  treaty  with 
the  French,  or  with  the  Florentines,  or  with  both. 
The  writer  complained  that  the  army  was  still 
at  Borgo  San  Sepolcro,  where  it  had  lain  inactive. 

"  In  treaty  with  the  French  !  "  ejaculated  Cesare, 
laying  down  the  parchment  with  evident  and  pro- 
found concern.  "  Can  they  have  so  far  anticipated 
me?" 

Then  he  fell  into  a  reverie  over  this  sudden 
entanglement.  Ought  he  to  have  led  the  army? 
It  now  seemed  so,  for  no  dissensions  would  then 
have  paralyzed  his  hirelings.  His  shallow  strata- 
gem of  loitering  at  Imola  had  deceived  no  one,  and 


AREZZO  201 

he  began  to  wonder  what  lethargy  had  stolen  these 
last  weeks  from  him.  His  amour  had  proved 
costly.  It  was  now  too  late  to  save  the  military 
situation.  No  alternative  remained  but  to  reverse 
his  attitude  of  an  assailant,  and  avert  from  himself 
the  fatal  wrath  of  the  French  King.  With  this 
aim  he  dispatched  Don  Michele  to  Milan  with 
a  letter  and  a  douceur  for  Cardinal  Amboise,  who 
had  his  Majesty's  ear ;  Michelotto  was  to  give 
every  assurance  that  this  irruption  had  been  made 
without  Cesare's  knowledge,  that  he  would  will- 
ingly turn  his  arms  against  the  upstart  Yitellozzo, 
and  he  was  to  ask  that  Valentino  be  received  by 
his  royal  brother-in-law,  when  all  should  be  ex- 
plained. To  Candale  he  wrote,  bidding  him  hasten 
from  the  coming  storm  and  withdraw  across  the 
Apennines  with  his  horsemen  and  with  whatever 
else  would  follow.  To  Vitellozzo  and  the  Orsini 
he  sent  no  word,  silently  leaving  them  to  bear  the 
brunt  of  a  possible  rencounter  with  the  French. 

"  A  thinning  out  would  tame  these  unruly  var- 
lets,"  he  muttered  passionately,  "and  they  fight 
savagely  enough  to  damp  this  French  ardor  for 
meddling  with  me  at  every  turn  ;  twice  before  has 
Louis  baulked  me ;  it  might  be  a  stroke  of  fortune 
if  they  met." 

His  meditations  were  interrupted  by  the  an- 
nouncement of  a  Spanish  gentleman  named  Pedro 
cle  Castro,  serving  with  Oliverotto,  and  reputed  an 
9* 


202  VALENTINO. 

officer  of  distinguished  qualities.  At  Cesare's  bid- 
ding he  seated  himself. 

"  You  must  have  had  an  evil  spirit  behind  you," 
remarked  Valentino,  surveying  the  other's  boots 
and  breeches,  all  splashed  with  mud. 

"  What  tidings  from  Camerino  ?  " 

"  None  from  Camerino,  all  there  is  quiet ;  but 
Olive  rotto " 

"  Is  he  dead  ?  "  cried  Borgia,  with  startling  ab- 
ruptness. 

"  It  might  be  well." 

"  Quick,  tell  me  the  substance." 

"  The  substance  is  that  Oliverotto  has  killed  his 
uncle,  and  seized  Fermo  for  himself." 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence.  Borgia's  pale 
face  grew  livid ;  he  controlled  himself  with  an 
effort,  and  muttered  a  few  words  above  his  breath. 

"  The  story,"  said  the  Spaniard,  "  is  briefly  told. 
Oliverotto  had  obtained  leave  of  his  uncle  Fogliani 
to  bring  with  him  a  squadron  of  troopers  on  the 
occasion  of  his  visit  to  Fermo.  He  had  not  been 
there  for  ten  years,  not  since  he  left,  a  stripling  of 
twenty  and  the  favorite  pupil  of  Vitellozzo,  and  it 
was  a  humor  with  him  to  return  with  something  of 
the  pomp  of  arms.  It  was  to  be  the  occasion  of  a 
festival ;  the  people  felt  as  proud  and  happy  as 
he.  I  was  not  among  those  called  to  attend  him, 
but  went  after  with  a  dispatch  from  Vitellozzo. 
A  guard  was  at  the  gate,  and  would  let  none  pass ; 


AHEZZO.  203 

I  asked  what  was  amiss,  and  two  of  them  laughed 
— they  had  all  been  drinking — and  said,  '  We  have 
a  Duke  of  our  own,  now.'  I  started  at  that,  and 
one  continued,  'Yes,  and  I  was  present  and  saw 
it  all ;  nay,  if  you  will,  look  at  the  blado  of  my  ra- 
pier ' — and  he  drew  it  half  from  the  scabbard,  and 
showed  the  stain  of  fresh  blood.  And  again  I 
asked  what  he  meant,  and  he  answered :  '  They 
were  feasting  when  Oliverotto  gave  the  signal  we 
awaited  ; — the  old  man  made  no  resistance — he 
seemed  dazed  beyond  word  or  motion  as  Oliverotto 
cut  him  down — and  the  rest  of  our  corps  has  been 
sent  for  and  will  be  here  at  midnight." 

"  And  the  dispatch  ?  "  asked  Borgia. 

De  Castro  laid  it  before  him. 

Cesare  tore  the  enclosure  open — it  conveyed  to 
Oliverotto  the  intelligence  of  Vitelozzo's  seizure  of 
Arezzo,  showing  that  the  two,  master  and  pupil, 
had  struck  in  concert. 

The  news  from  Fermo  travelled  to  the  army 
cantoned  around  Borgo  San  Sepolcro.  Vitellozzo 
heard  of  the  accomplishment  of  this  coup  with 
grim  indifference.  The  Orsini  would  have  been 
more  interested,  but  for  the  intelligence  of  the 
march  of  Langres  with  a  column  which  report  num- 
bered at  seven  thousand  men.  The  next  morning 
it  was  found  that  Candale,  followed  by  fifteen  hun- 
dred horse  and  foot,  had  vanished.  Vitellozzo 


204  VALENTINO. 

alone,  his  possession  of  Arezzo  threatened,  sprang 
from  supineness  to  reckless  counsels.  He  urged  a 
forced  march  in  the  direction  of  Florence ;  if  the 
French  had  arrived,  they  would  be  eager  to  fight ; 
were  they  still  at  a  distance,  the  town  could  be 
taken  and  plundered.  In  this  project  the  Medici, 
having  much  to  win  and  nothing  to  lose,  joined 
heartily. 

The  answer  of  the  Orsini  was  conclusive  :  they 
refused  to  proceed  further  with  an  expedition 
that  exposed  them  to  such  perilous  emergencies, 
and  in  which  their  commander  left  them  to  shift 
for  themselves.  They  further  declared  their  in- 
tention of  hastening  across  the  Apennines,  while 
time  remained  to  retreat.  Vitellozzo,  in  his 
chagrin,  vowed  he  would  cause  his  troops  to  fire 
upon  the  first  company  that  moved.  And  there- 
upon, in  their  alarm  at  the  general  collapse,  the 
Medicean  exiles  gathered  their  effects,  and  sped  off 
without  a  further  word. 

Towards  midnight,  the  two  lords  of  Perugia  and 
Siena,  with  their  followers,  equipped  for  departure, 
sought  Vitellozzo.  This  officer  had  passed  a  cheer- 
less evening  filled  with  consternation  at  his  predic- 
ament between  King  Louis  and  Borgia.  The  hours 
had  dragged  wearily,  each  marked  by  the  dropping 
of  an  iron  nail,  which,  as  the  flame  of  the  candle 
reached  it,  fell  from  the  wax  in  which  it  had  been 
inserted.  He  took  up  a  volume  from  the  table,  a 


AREZZO.  205 

printed  book,  and  therefore  a  rarity,  the  gift  of 
Pagolo  Orsini,  and  mechanically  turned  the  pages. 
It  was  a  treatise  by  the  famous  Venetian  general, 
Pitigliano.  There  was  a  chapter  on  the  defence  of 
towns,  another  on  vedettes,  some  algebraic  equa- 
tions applied  to  the  range  of  artillery,  a  compari- 
son of  the  phalanxes  of  Swiss  and  Spanish  foot, 
through  all  of  which  would  come  another  line  of 
thought — an  intrusive  legion  of  forebodings  till  a 
servant  tapped,  and  Vitellozzo  sprang  startled  to 
his  feet,  as  though  already  summoned  by  Borgia 
and  the  French. 

Baglioni  and  Petrucci  were  immediately  intro- 
duced. Yitellozzo  greeted  them  pleasantly  : 

"  You  are  going  hence,"  he  said,  "  and  more 
courteous  than  others,  have  delayed  to  bid  me 
farewell." 

"  Even  so,"  answered  Petrucci,  "  and  a  word 
more — are  your  walls  secure,  is  it  safe  to  speak?  " 

"  The  walls  are  deaf,  and  I  will  bolt  the  entrance 
of  the  anteroom,  then  you  may  talk  whatever 
treason  you  will,"  and  II  Cignale  laughed  sardonic- 
ally. He  returned  in  a  moment,  pointed  to  a  side 
table  on  which  stood  wine,  saying : 

"  It  is  well  to  warm  the  blood  against  the  night 
air,  and  if  you  have  sad  words,  a  cup  may  soften 
them." 

Then  said  Petrucci  :  "  We  would  not  choose  our 
words  to  be  more  sombre  than  our  situation.  Our 


206  VALENTINO. 

conclusion  is  that  if  you  at  Citta  di  Castello 
are  engulfed,  we  shall  fare  likewise.  Therefore 
our  interest  is  to  sustain  you.  But  you  must 
retire  from  Arezzo,  and  place  yourself  and  your 
battalions  at  the  command  of  the  French  gen- 
eral." 

"  What  worse  than  that  can  happen?"  groaned 
Vitellozzo. 

"  In  that  case  the  peril  of  French  attack  is 
averted ;  then  will  be  the  opportunity  to  learn  how 
we  all  stand  towards  Borgia.  You  will  hardly  pre- 
tend to  have  advanced  in  his  favor.  As  for  Olive- 
rotto,  'tis  a  bold  man  that  covets  his  place.  The 
Medici  say  that  not  only  they,  but  also  Pagolo 
Orsini  had  letters  from  Florence,  and  when  Cesare 
hears  that — 

"The  saints  preserve  him!"  ejaculated  Baglioni. 

"  You  may  need  the  saints  as  well  as  another," 
answered  Vitellozzo  ;  "  what  does  this  lead  to  but 
that  we  are  all  compromised  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree  ?  " 

"We  are  all  compromised,"  assented  Petrucci, 
"  and  therefore  it  is  our  life  that  we  stand  together. 
To  be  more  definite  I  should  have  to  guess  events, 
and  to  know  how  others  incline.  Cannot  we  come 
together  with  Oliverotto  and  the  Orsini  and  deter- 
mine some  mutual  course  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Vitellozzo,  "  I  will  come.  The  Or- 
sini have  been  half  hearted,  and  abandon  me  to- 


AREZZO.  207 

morrow,  but  we  may  have  grievous  need  of  one 
another  hereafter." 

His  visitors  rose  satisfied  with  the  result  of  their 
conference,  and  from  Vitellozzo's  reassured  tone  as 
they  parted,  it  was  evident  that  he  too  regarded 
their  interview  with  contentment. 

On  the  morrow  Vitellozzo  rode  alone  to  where 
Pagolo  and  Gravina,  mounted  and  armed,  were 
watching  their  troops  form  for  the  march.  He 
rode  to  the  elder  of  the  brothers,  and  said: 

"Pagolo,  we  have  been  comrades  too  long  to 
quarrel.  Forgive  whatever  I  have  said  amiss ;  it 
was  chagrin  that  overbalanced  me.  I  am  come  to 
bid  you  safe  journey,  and  to  own  that  I  am  recon- 
ciled to  abandon  Arezzo.  Before  we  part,  I  warn 
you  from  an  overpowering  presentiment — beware 
of  Cesare  Borgia." 

"Vitellozzo,"  answered  Orsini,  "your  nerves 
have  been  unstrung.  I  thank  you  none  the  less. 
You  shall  never  call  on  me  in  vain  !  " 

Half  an  hour  later  the  Orsini  vanished  down  the 
road,  and  the  line  of  their  pikemen  went  glittering 
away ;  the  morning  sunlight  tipped  their  spear- 
heads and  came  streaming  over  the  housetops  of 
the  town  they  had  forsaken,  while  Vitellozzo  re- 
mained standing  where  they  had  left  him.  At 
length  he  turned  with  an  unwonted  moisture  in 
his  eyes — "Arezzo,"  he  murmured— "oh  Arezzo." 


CHAPTER  X. 

DIPLOMACY. 

DON  MICHELE  acquitted  himself  with  such  adroit- 
ness in  his  mission  to  Milan,  that  not  only  was  the 
desired  audience  accorded  to  Yalentino,  but  so 
considerable  a  change  was  effected  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  Cardinal  Amboise,  that  an  order  was  dis- 
patched to  de  Langres  countermanding  that  offi- 
cer's march.  Cesare  received  this  answer  with  an 
emotion  of  relief ;  the  rest,  he  thought,  was  easy. 

His  journey  was  not  without  risk,  and  he  under- 
took it  in  disguise,  and  attended  only  by  two 
valets  and  three  well-appointed  troopers.  To 
Ramiro  he  committed  Romagna ;  to  Michelotto  he 
intrusted  his  negotiations  with  the  fractious  con- 
dottieri,  remarking  with  an  approach  to  exultation 
— "  In  three  weeks  I  shall  be  here  with  a  French 
army."  And  so  he  rode  away  northward,  passing 
through  the  dominion  of  his  new  brother-in-iaw  to 
make  a  hasty  visit  to  his  sister. 

At  the  moment  of  Cesare's  arrival  at  Ferrara,  Lu- 
cretia  was  at  the  summer  palace  of  Belfiore  :  his 
coming  was  a  surprise,  and,  strange  though  it  ap- 
pear, a  pleasure. 


DIPLOMACY.  209 

"  To-day,"  writes  Secretary  Castellus,  .  .  . 
"her  highness  diverted  herself  for  a  couple  of 
hours  in  pleasant  converse  with  the  Duke  of 
Komagna,  which  put  her  in  great  good  spirits." 
There  was  good  news  to  talk  of.  Cesare  had 
added  to  his  possessions,  and  if  a  storm  gathered, 
he  anticipated  its  termination  to  his  advantage. 
Their  correspondence  had  kept  them  mutually  in- 
formed of  facts  and  events,  but  it  was  a  sympa- 
thetic satisfaction  to  dwell  upon  the  particulars  of 
his  recent  triumphs.  To  the  moral  obtuseness  of 
the  time,  the  story  of  the  slaying  of  men  was  as  the 
record  of  a  hunt,  or  of  the  master-stroke  in  some 
hard-contested  game. 

Lucretia's  was  a  gentler  tale  :  she  could  laugh 
yet  at  the  recollection  of  her  meeting  with  the 
old  duke,  when  he  presented  his  natural  brother, 
and  then  a  natural  daughter,  and  then  the  three 
natural  daughters  of  Sigismund  d'Este — a  battal- 
ion of  illegitimates  to  bid  her  welcome.  She  had 
much  to  tell,  fetes  and  dances  at  the  palace,  and 
the  sports  and  games  for  the  townsfolk  that  Ercole 
and  his  master  of  ceremonies  had  prepared ;  of 
the  curious  gift  of  the  Venetian  envoys,  who,  after 
reading  an  address,  had  presented  their  long 
cloaks,  much  to  the  merriment  of  all  Ferrara;  of 
the  verses  composed  by  a  youthful  poet  named 
AEIOSTO.  They  chatted  thus  until  time  compelled 
Cesare  to  resume  his  journey,  courteously  attended 


210  VALENTINO. 

to  the  frontier  by  Lucretia's  husband.  Only  a 
slight  acquaintance  had  heretofore  existed  be- 
tween them,  and  Alfonzo  eyed  with  curiosity  this 
self-created  prince — urbane,  successful,  red-hand- 
ed; but  Cesare's  appearance  was  of  ominous 
suggestion,  and  it  was  with  a  contentment  as  full 
as  his  regretful  words  of  parting  were  suave  that 
he  saw  the  Duke  of  Komagna  resume  his  route  to 
Milan. 

At  Cremona  appeared  the  first  French  troops — 
familiar  enough  to  Valentino  ;  at  Lodi,  upon  see- 
ing the  safe-conduct  which  Michelotto  had  brought 
back,  an  officer  joined  his  little  company  to  pre- 
vent the  annoyance  of  stoppages  at  the  successive 
outposts.  Nearing  the  outskirts  of  Milan  towards 
the  close  of  a  long  summer's  day,  every  distressful 
sign  of  conquest  was  present  in  the  deserted  coun- 
try houses,  the  uncultivated  fields,  the  road  for- 
saken save  by  a  few  French  officers  enjoying  the 
cool  of  the  afternoon.  At  the  gate  was  a  platoon 
of  Swiss  on  guard,  sturdy,  beef-eating  peasants, 
whose  captain,  despite  the  French  officer's  protest, 
halted  the  party,  and  obliged  Valentino  to  exhibit 
his  papers. 

"  We  take  orders  only  from  our  own  command- 
ers," retorted  the  Swiss.  Then  seeing  the  name 
and  the  signature  of  d'Aubigny,  he  motioned  them 
to  advance. 

"  These   fellows   grow  more   insufferable   every 


DIPLOMACY.  211 

day,"  grumbled  the  officer,  whose  dignity  had  been 
thus  slighted. 

"  I  wonder  that  you  employ  them,"  observed 
Cesare ;  "  your  army  is  not  considered  to  need 
auxiliaries." 

His  companion  caught  a  tinge  of  irony  in  the  ac- 
cent, but  the  earnest  face  at  his  side  was  seriously 
placid. 

"Were  we  to  dismiss  them  now,"  he  answered, 
"  they  would  take  service  with  I  know  not  whom, 
and  we  might  see  five  thousand  men  added  to  the 
ranks  of  our  enemies." 

They  rode  through  narrow  streets,  all  guiltless 
of  sidewalks,  paved  with  cobble  stones  and  irregu- 
lar slabs,  and  with  an  odorous  gutter  flowing  down 
the  middle.  On  either  side  were  colonnades, 
projecting  beams,  fantastic  iron  work,  lofty  roofs 
and  gables,  and  pious  inscriptions  on  the  walls. 
In  turning  a  corner,  Cesare  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
lower  fabric  of  the  Duomo,  then  in  construction. 

"Is  work  upon  the  Cathedral  interrupted?" 
he  asked. 

"  Yes ;  we  have  sent  to  Paris  for  one  of  our 
architects." 

They  entered  the  enclosure  of  the  palace  where 
the  King  and  Cardinal  Amboise  lodged,  and  to 
which  the  duke  had  been  bidden.  A  company  of 
arquebusiers  was  quartered  in  the  court-yard,  and 
here  and  there  moved  officers  or  courtiers,  attend- 


212  VALENTINO. 

ants  and  pages  of  the  royal  retinue.  Beside  an 
iron  fountain  leaned  a  group  of  blue  and  yellow 
and  white  clad  peasant  women,  with  copper  buck- 
ets balanced  beneath  the  crystal  jets.  Cesare  was 
received  by  the  cardinal's  clerical  secretary,  and 
by  a  gentleman  of  the  King,  who  conducted  him 
up  a  flight  of  steps. 

"  Monseigneur  will  be  indulgent,"  remarked  the 
ecclesiastic,  leading  the  way ;  "  we  are  here  as  in  a 
barrack." 

"One  must  needs  be  patient  campaigning," 
added  the  equerry,  rubbing  his  hands  subservi- 
ently ;  "  the  King  commanded  that  you  be  enter- 
tained here  that  he  might  know  you  near  him." 

"  And  when  will  his  Eminence  deign  to  receive 
me  ? "  asked  Cesare,  not  caring  had  he  been 
housed  in  an  attic,  so  opportunity  were  given  for 
the  business  which  brought  him. 

"This  very  evening;  he  was  impatient  for  tid- 
ings of  your  coming,  and  while  you  are  shaking  off 
the  dust  of  the  way,  I  will  acquaint  him  with 
your  arrival." 

Cesare  was  now  left  with  his  valets  and  his  sad- 
dle-bags. An  hour  later  the  secretary  returned. 
The  duke  had  meanwhile  habited  himself,  and  re- 
ceived with  satisfaction  the  intimation  that  Cardi- 
nal Amboise  awaited  him. 

The  eminent  minister  of  King  Louis  was,  like 
his  master,  still  in  the  prime  of  vigorous  manhood. 


DIPLOMACY.  213 

Trained  in  the  schools  of  French,  Spanish,  and 
Italian  diplomacy,  he  had  early  made  his  way  to 
favor.  Bold,  supple,  unscrupulous,  he  had  for  six 
years  conducted  the  affairs  of  France,  and  had  ac- 
quired immense  ascendency  over  both  monarch  and 
palace.  Chiefly  he  owed  advancement  to  fidelity 
to  the  King  during  unfortunate  conflicts  of  that 
prince's  earlier  years.  Avarice  was  the  basis  of 
his  character :  the  present  Italian  war  had  opened 
precious  opportunities  for  personal  profit,  and  it 
was  with  warm  satisfaction  that  he  learned  of  the 
advent  of  the  opulent  briber.  His  one  extrava- 
gance was  in  the  pleasures  of  the  table.  Habited 
on  this  afternoon  in  the  robes  of  his  office,  he  sat 
before  a  portfolio  of  maps  of  the  Italian  states, 
which  d'Aubigny  had  brought  for  the  illustration 
of  his  views  upon  the  impending  war  with  Spain. 
He  rose  from  his  work  and  greeted  the  duke  with 
friendly  cordiality,  for  they  were  old  acquaintance. 

"  Young  and  handsome  as  ever,"  he  began,  shak- 
ing his  visitor  by  the  hand  and  bidding  him  be 
seated :  "  grown  a  trifle  more  robust  since  we 
supped  together  in  Paris — do  you  remember  those 
Normandy  pheasants  ?  But  years  have  not  brought 
you  discretion ;  how  much  mischief  you  have  made 
with  your  condottieri." 

"  In  truth,"  answered  Cesare,  reflecting  the  car- 
dinal's amiable  mood,  "  it  is  unwittingly  that  I 
have  troubled  the  peace ;  it  is  this  I  have  come  to 


214  VALENTINO. 

explain  to  my  royal  cousin  and  to  your  Eminence, 
and  we  shall  fasten  the  blame  where  it  is  due." 

"Henceforth  you  must  hold  such  overzealous 
lieutenants  in  leash,"  observed  the  cardinal ;  "  here 
are  Florence  and  Venice  both  clamoring,  and  what 
would  be  your  condition  were  it  not  for  the  favor 
of  the  King  !  " 

"  The  favor  of  Cardinal  Amboise  is  sufficient ;  is 
the  King  sincere  in  these  threatening  messages?" 

"  You  put  him  in  a  passion  at  your  doings  on 
the  Tuscan  frontier,  and  you  will  find  him  sore 
enough  yet :  could  you  not  understand  that  to 
harry  his  ally  is  an  open  contempt  of  him  ?  " 

"  And  who  could  divine  your  alliance  with  Flor- 
ence when  the  Florentines  stand  in  such  dread  of 
you  that  they  quake  at  sight  of  the  courier  from 
Milan  ?  But  enough  ;  'tis  a  misunderstanding,  and 
upon  your  Eminence  I  depend  to  soften  the  shad- 
ows ;  unless,"  he  added,  slowly,  "  you  have  no 
longer  need  of  me  between  here  and  Capua." 

The  cardinal's  severe  eyes  softened  at  these 
words,  which  recalled  d'Aubigny's  exposition  of  the 
need  of  security  for  their  long  line  of  operations 
between  Lombardy  and  the  Sicilies ;  "  Florence," 
the  general  had  said,  "  is  too  weak  to  help  or  to 
hinder.  The  Borgia's  eight  thousand  soldiers  can 
make  our  rear  secure,  or  place  us  in  peril  after  we 
are  hundreds  of  miles  from  our  strongholds  in  a 
semi-hostile  country,  with  the  Spaniards  in  front." 


DIPLOMACY.  215 

"  And  apropos  of  the  affairs  we  have  to  talk  of," 
pursued  Valentino,  "  I  have  to  crave  pardon  that 
my  usual  contributions  have  not  been  paid ;  it  is 
my  treasurer's  omission,  the  amount  is  here — fif- 
teen thousand  sequins.  It  shall  be  delivered  within 
the  hour,  only  be  it  between  ourselves,  or  Louis 
will  be  dunning  me  for  more." 

No  such  contribution  had  ever  been  paid,  but 
this  was  a  way  of  tendering  the  inevitable  bribe, 
and  the  ecclesiastic  showed  satisfaction  in  his  face 
if  not  altogether  in  his  words. 

"  Fifteen  thousand !  "  he  cried,  "  methought 
twenty  was  the  full  total  ;  well,  well,  perhaps  you 
are  right ;  you  are  assuredly  wise  to  pay  it  to  me, 
else  how  speedily  would  it  be  squandered ; — a  very 
apt  and  discreet  youth  ; — I  will  see  the  King,  there 
shall  be  no  difficulty  .  .  .  fifteen  thousand  in 
an  hour." 

"  On  the  instant,  provided  I  have  your  leave  to 
withdraw  and  bring  Levy's  bills  from  my  room." 

"  Sainte  Marie !  you  have  not  left  bills  for  fifteen 
thousand  sequins  in  your  room  !  Nay  haste  fetch 
me  them,  and  we  will  sup  together  presently,  I 
have  some  terrines  from  Strassburg ;  the  only  thing 
fit  to  eat  that  Germany  produces ;  but  haste,  care- 
less youth,"  and  in  his  impatience  Amboise  pushed 
the  duke  out  of  the  door,  where  he  remained 
watching  his  return. 

At  noon  on  the  following  day,  Valentino  was  in- 


216  VALENTINO. 

terrupted  in  his  chat  with  d'Aubigny  and  the  Pre- 
vost  by  a  message  that  the  King  awaited  him.  His 
relations  with  his  royal  brother-in-law  had  not  al- 
ways been  serene,  and  unless  Amboise  had  soothed 
his  majesty's  temper,  the  Italian  had  the  prospect 
of  an  unpleasant  hour. 

Life  till  latterly  had  dealt  hardly  with  Louis  the 
Twelfth  of  France.  During  the  reign  of  his  prede- 
cessor, he  had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  mal- 
content factions,  and  had  experienced  exile  and  im- 
prisonment, through  which  the  faithful  Amboise 
had  remained  constant.  If  not  possessed  of  supe- 
rior mind  or  spirit,  he  had  acquired  a  varied  expe- 
rience of  the  world,  adroitness  in  affairs,  and  dis- 
crimination among  men.  No  sooner  established 
on  the  throne  than  he  prepared  for  the  assertion 
of  his  right  to  the  duchy  of  Milan,  a  claim  founded 
upon  the  visionary  title  of  Valentine  Visconti,  heir- 
ess of  the  dispossessed  family  of  that  name.  Aban- 
doned by  his  timid  subjects,  and  betrayed  by  his 
Swiss,  Ludovico  Sforza,  Duke  of  Milan,  fell  a  prey 
to  the  invader,  and  Lombardy  passed  under  the 
sovereignty  of  France.  The  campaign  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  lost  conquest  of  Naples  had  been  fol- 
lowed by  such  machinations  in  Northern  Italy  as 
had  detained  there  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
French  army. 

The  King's  most  noteworthy  experience  with  the 
Borgias  was  on  the  occasion  of  his  divorce  from  a 


DIPLOMACY.  217 

daughter  of  Louis  XL,  and  of  his  marriage  with 
the  widow  of  Charles  VIII.  In  consideration  of 
the  Duchy  of  Valentinois  and  the  loan  of  some 
troops  to  Cesare — recently  relieved  from  holy  or- 
ders and  from  a  cardinal  become  a  soldier  duke — 
the  Pope  was  prevailed  upon  to  grant  the  neces- 
sary dispensation,  and  Cesare  was  sent  with  it  to 
Paris.  On  arriving  he  announced  to  the  monarch's 
disgust  merely  the  probable  issuing  of  the  coveted 
decree,  and  meanwhile  sought  to  make  a  more 
profitable  bargain  than  the  Pope  had  stipulated. 
To  his  discomfiture  the  King  suddenly  threw  aside 
negotiation  and  prepared  for  immediate  union  with 
the  baautiful  Anne  of  Brittany.  It  was  disclosed 
some  hours  after  that  a  certain  Cardinal  Cette  had 
sought  the  sovereign  in  his  embarrassment  and  had 
pointed  a  way  out  of  the  dilemma.  "  I  have  sure 
knowledge,"  he  explained,  "  that  the  dispensation 
is  signed  and  issued  and  is  in  the  duke's  possession. 
Whether  it  be  delivered  to  you  or  destroyed  matters 
not ;  it  cannot  be  recalled  ;  you  are  divorced  al- 
ready and  are  free  to  marry."  It  was  an  odd 
coincidence  that  Cardinal  Cette  died  a  fortnight 
after. 

But  for  the  moment  Cesare  was  vanquished; 
there  was  no  alternative  but  an  admission  of  de- 
feat, and  the  production  of  the  Pope's  decree. 
The  marriage  was  consummated,  Cesare  received 
the  title  of  Due  de  Valentinois  and  was  aided  in 
10 


218  VALENTINO. 

the  conquest  of  Romagna.  The  man  who  had 
outwitted  him  had  still  kept  to  his  word. 

Louis  awaited  his  visitor  in  a  reception-room 
which  opened  from  his  apartments.  He  was 
dressed  in  an  embroidered  suit  of  green  cloth 
slashed  at  the  sleeves,  and  garnished  at  the  wrists 
and  collar  with  linen,  which  being  unstarched,  was 
of  a  limp  appearance.  About  his  neck  was  a  reli- 
quary, and  at  his  girdle  hung  the  habitual  poniard. 
His  face  was  clean  shaven,  his  hair  worn  long  at 
the  sides  and  back  of  the  head,  and  cut  short 
across  the  brow.  Scattered  about  were  weapons, 
chiefly  fire-arms  of  the  ungainly  model  of  the  time, 
together  with  travelling  equipment,  camp  baggage, 
and  articles  of  clothing. 

Louis  stood  at  a  window  absently  examining  the 
mechanism  of  a  silver  inlaid  arquebuse,  his  fingers 
playing  idly  with  the  lock,  and  his  gaze  resting 
indifferently  upon  it.  He  laid  it  down  as  the 
door  opened  to  admit  Valentino  and  the  pages 
escorting  him.  The  two  met  with  an  assumption 
of  friendliness.  Louis  shook  Cesare  by  the  hand, 
peered  into  his  face  with  his  keen  brown  eyes, 
smiled  rather  sourly  and  motioned  to  a  couple 
of  chairs  ;  then,  suddenly  changing  his  mind,  said : 

"  My  cousin,  follow  me  into  my  private  study, 
where  we  shall  converse  without  listeners  or  inter- 
ruption." 

"  Sire,"  exclaimed  Cesare,  "  I  cannot  be  seated 


DIPLOMACY.  219 

until  I  hear  from  your  lips  of  the  health  of  my  be- 
loved spouse." 

A  merry  twinkle  lighted  up  the  King's  eyes  ere 
he  answered : 

"  Charlotte  is  well  in  all  but  the  excessive  retire- 
ment of  her  life,  which  displeases  me." 

"And,"  pursued  Cesare,  following  towards  the 
inner  room,  "  can  no  persuasion  prevail  upon  her 
to  revisit  Italy  ?  " 

"Nay,"  replied  the  ting,  "we  do  not  talk  of  that; 
it  were  wraste  of  breath." 

Cesare  now  found  himself  in  an  apartment  which 
served  the  King  as  cabinet  de  travail.  Like  the 
outer  chamber,  it  was  strewn  with  objects  of  every 
description.  If  it  be  true  that  the  aspect  of  a 
familiar  room  is  a  reflex  of  the  mind  of  its  occu- 
pant, suggesting  his  tastes  and  habits,  and  to  a 
keen  observer,  much  more,  then  Louis'  ideas  must 
have  been  in  some  disorder. 

"  Be  seated,"  began  the  King,  indicating  a  chair, 
and  throwing  himself  upon  an  imitation  of  a  Turk- 
ish divan,  "and  tell  me  how  you  fare  and  what 
news  from  Home,  and  how  does  the  golden-haired 
Lucretia?" 

"  My  father  is  well,  and  my  sister  I  saw  three 
days  since  at  Ferrara ;  she  sent  you  her  duty  and 
many  messages." 

Louis  listened  with  distrait  attention,  and  as 
Cesare  finished  said  abruptly : 


220  VALENTINO. 

"What  a  plague  you  have  stirred  up  for  me, 
as  if  I  had  not  trouble  enough  in  this  accursed 
country." 

"  I  follow  your  majesty's  example,"  answered 
Borgia,  "  and  take  what  I  can  get." 

A  sudden  flush  and  threatening  frown  took  the 
place  on  Louis'  countenance  of  the  good-natured 
indifference  of  a  moment  before.  Ere  he  could 
utter  the  angry  words  that  flew  to  his  lips,  Cesare 
interposed. 

"I  have  come  here,"  he  said  quickly,  "to  offer 
the  utmost  atonement  for  an  unintended  fault;  it 
is  by  placing  myself  and  my  army  at  your  dis- 
posal." 

"  Myself  and  my  army,  sounds  well,"  replied  the 
King,  with  sarcastic  inflection ;  "  but  in  the  past 
you  have  deceived  me,  and  now  we  hear  that  your 
boasted  army  is  not  to  be  bitted  or  bridled." 

"  If  such  be  seriously  your  sentiments  towards 
me,  and  your  opinion  of  my  troops,  it  were  idle 
to  pledge  myself,  or  to  offer  my  men.  At  best  it 
were  a  sorry  post  to  stand  betwixt  the  heavy  blows 
of  your  impending  settlements  with  Spain." 

"  Tush !  "  ejaculated  Louis,  "  by  Saint  Jacques, 
what  a  fretful  youth  it  is.  Hast  thou  not  learned 
that  the  men  who  accomplish  most  are  those  who 
lose  their  temper  least  ?  " 

"  Let  us  leave  these  subjects,  sire,  that  irritate 
to  no  purpose.  Give  me  leave  to  say  rather  that 


DIPLOMACY.  221 

I  have  brought  you  two  brace  of  falcons  from  the 
Roman  Campania,  which : 

"  The  devil  fly  your  falcons  !  "  retorted  the  King ; 
"  we  have  serious  things  to  talk  about ;  I  am  will- 
ing to  listen  to  the  proposition  you  have  come 
here  to  make.  I  am  willing  to  look  at  our  situa- 
tion with  you,  and  to  speak  frankly  as  to  a 
friend." 

"  Sire,  I  am  come  to  listen  and  to  obey." 

"  First,  then,  we  are  evidently  in  a  position  to  do 
one  another  some  mischief,  not  to  say  more.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  might  each  render  the  other  an 
invaluable  service ;  it  remains  to  be  seen  in  which 
course  lies  the  greater  profit." 

"  Profit  for  you  ?  "  queried  Valentino. 

"Nay,  in  good  faith  for  both.  It  is  strongly 
suspected  that  you  would  not  be  the  worse  for  a 
vigorous  helping  hand." 

"  There  falls  on  me  the  shadow  of  a  difference 
among  my  captains,  or  between  them  and  me,  on 
the  very  ground  for  which  you  censure." 

Louis  observed  the  young  man  with  a  curiously 
comical  look. 

"  You  mean,"  he  said, "  that  you  did  not  order  the 
taking  of  Arezzo  ?  " 

At  this  inquiry  Borgia  good-humoredly  laughed 
aloud. 

"Arezzo,  in  itself,"  he  said,  "was  not  worth 
capture  ;  and  had  it  been  the  prelude  to  some  seri- 


222  VALENTINO. 

ous  enterprise,  think  you  I  would  have  been  want- 
ing at  the  head  of  my  soldiers  ?  " 

The  King  listened  while  he  toyed  with  a  tassel 
that  depended  from  the  arm  of  his  chair;  then 
dropping  it  with  sudden  impatience,  he  exclaimed : 
"  Cannot  you  understand  that  truth  is  the  best 
diplomacy  between  those  who  are  to  serve  one  an- 
other! Let  us  be  frank  if  this  meeting  is  not  to 
be  a  mere  exchange  of  words.  Let  us  leave  what 
is  past,  your — follies  shall  I  call  them  ? — at  Arezzo 
and  Urbino  and  Camerino.  Let  us  look  at  the 
present  and  the  future,"  he  said,  rising  from  his 
poltrone  and  walking  slowly  up  and  down  the 
room,  "  our  aims,  our  resources,  our  difficulties." 

"  I  am  resolved,"  pursued  the  King,  halting  be- 
fore his  visitor  and  swinging  a  bunch  of  small  keys 
that  hung  from  his  girdle — 

"  I  am  resolved  to  keep  Milan,  come  what  may. 
With  this  I  should  be  satisfied,  but  the  army 
calls  for  a  continuance  of  the  Neapolitan  occu- 
pation. It  is  evident  that  we  cannot  remain  there 
permanently,  yet  we  cannot  abandon  the  Sicilies 
to  the  Spaniard  by  an  abrupt  retreat." 

"Neither  can  you  enter  Naples  again  without 
first  breaking  the  ranks  of  the  Spanish  pikemen ; 
they  are  not  Swiss  to  be  bought." 

"  And  therefore  if  a  passage  at  arms  should  re- 
sult from  military  demonstrations  which  the  bal- 
ance in  the  Peninsula  makes  necessary,  it  might  be 


DIPLOMACY.  223 

useful  to  have  an  ally  in  the  centre  of  Italy  whose 
fortresses  and  stores  would  be  so  much  vantage 
gained  upon  the  enemy." 

"Say  indispensable  rather  than  useful." 

"A  question  of  degree,  if  you  will,"  assented  the 
King  with  a  little  wave  of  the  hand  habitual  to 
him  ;  "  but  a  question  dependent  upon  how  much 
that  friend  can  do,  and  how  much  of  his  engage- 
ment will  be  fulfilled." 

"  You  can  determine  those  points  by  making 
your  success  as  valuable  to  your  auxiliary  as  to 
yourself.  Self-interest  and  the  fear  of  conse- 
quences are  motives  that  never  fail." 

Louis  listened  with  a  cunning  grimace  as  he 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  gold  box  filled  with  brown 
dust  of  which  he  applied  a  pinch  to  his  nostrils. 
He  tendered  the  box  to  the  duke,  who  eyed  it  sus- 
piciously and  shook  his  forefinger  in  that  negative 
gesture  familiar  to  the  modern  Italian. 

"  It  looks  like  mother  earth,  eh  ?  "  pursued  the 
King  ;  "  you  have  never  seen  it  before  ?  'Tis  a  pro- 
duct of  the  new  Indies  beyond  the  sea,  and  given 
me  by  a  ship  captain  whose  life  I  spared  last  win- 
ter, and  who  said  he  possessed  something  worthy 
to  be  offered  to  a  King,  something  the  odor  of  which 
clears  and  composes  the  brain  and  lengthens  the 
mental  vision." 

A  blast  of  martial  music  interrupted  their  dis- 
course. The  King  strode  to  the  open  window  and 


224  VALENTINO. 

motioned  Cesare  to  his  side  in  the  deep  casement. 
It  was  the  regiment  called  Auvergne,  led  by  a  clus- 
ter of  brilliantly  attired  officers  returning  from 
review  on  the  Piazza  d'Armi,  a  broad  stretch  be- 
fore Francesco  Sforza's  citadel,  which  stands  to 
this  day  almost  as  he  left  it  four  centuries  ago. 

A  bevy  of  girls  in  the  street  below  stopped  their 
feminine  chatter  to  look  as  the  long  column  of  stur- 
dy men  at  arms  went  by,  the  heavy  silken  banners 
drooping  at  intervals  along  the  line,  the  sunlight 
caught  by  many  a  casque  or  halberd  blade,  the 
music  growing  faint  in  the  distance.  A  gleam  of 
exultation  passed  over  the  King's  face.  "  Tell  me," 
he  said,  "  what  ally  needs  he  who  has  such  daunt- 
less friends  at  his  back  ?" 

"So  asks  de  Cordova  when  the  yellow  clad 
regiments  of  Castile  defile  before  him  in  his  Nea- 
politan camps,"  rejoined  Borgia. 

The  King's  expression  clouded ;  then  jeeringly 
he  said,  "  It  is  less  with  Spain  than  with  prince- 
lings like  yourself  or  with  decrepit  Republics 
such  as  Genoa  and  Florence  that  I  have  to  do." 

"Ah!"  ejaculated  the  other  with  a  sneering 
assumption  of  surprise — "  abandon  the  acquisition 
of  your  predecessor  —  the  Italian  pearl  in  the 
French  crown  !  Nay,  if  you  come  with  such  pacific 
intentions,  it  was  unnecessary  to  bring  all  those 
fine  soldiers  merely  to  threaten  the  weak." 

"Threaten,    say    you — par    St.  Denis!"  cried 


DIPLOMACY.  225 

Louis  angrily,  "  know  you  that  I  have  five  thou- 
sand men  on  your  Tuscan  frontier  - 

"About  to  march  against  my  captains  in  Ro- 
magna ;  against  troops  their  equal  in  mettle  and 
double  their  number.  Believe  me,  the  result  could 
not  have  been  auspicious  as  the  first  page  of  your 
struggle  with  Spain.  Think  you  that  the  day  you 
wrest  Romagna  from  me  I  will  not  withdraw  to  the 
defiles  of  the  Abruzzi  and  stand  there  against  you 
as  the  vanguard  of  de  Cordova's  army  ?  " 

"  I  should  have  moved  without  giving  you  time 
to  withdraw,  had  not  the  certitude  of  an  amicable 
settlement  prevailed  over  my  confidence  in  the 
superiority  of  my  troops." 

"  Your  belief  in  an  amicable  settlement  is  so 
strong  that  you  are  at  this  moment  awaiting  rein- 
forcements of  which  I  can  give  you  the  latest  news. 
You  await  the  arrival  of  a  corps  led  by  the  Con- 
stable of  Ocean,  composed  of  two  hundred  knights, 
a  thousand  archers,  and  three  thousand  halber- 
diers— all  at  latest  accounts  en  route  to  the  Alps 
from  Grenoble." 

The  King  gazed  at  him  with  a  stare  of  blank 
surprise. 

"  It  will  be  glad  news  for  Italy,"  continued  the 
duke,  "  when  your  Majesty  makes  known  his 
preference  for  negotiation  over  arms.  It  would  be 
no  ordinary  contest,  no  tilt  to  decide  the  line  of  a 
frontier  or  the  possession  of  a  town — but  a  strug- 
10s 


226  VALENTINO. 

gle  to  determine  supremacy  from  here  to  Palermo ; 
preponderance  with  the  Church  ;  power  and  pres- 
tige even  beyond  the  Emperor's." 

There  was  a  moment's  pause  ere  the  King  an- 
swered, 

"  You  are  well  informed,  but  in  part  you  are 
mistaken ;  listen,  I  will  tell  you  a  secret — I  leave 
for  Paris  in  twenty  days." 

Cesare  scanned  the  King's  face  intently,  seemed 
satisfied  with  its  sincerity,  and  dropping  back 
astonished  in  his  chair,  said, 

"  You  forsake  the  fateful  days  of  your  life — for 
some  woman — the  Queen  of  course,"  he  added  under 
his  breath. 

"  I  shall  return  in  time." 

"  For  yourself,  yes ;  but  not  in  time  for  me." 

"  You  are  sore  pressed  by  your  faithful  army?  " 

"  If  I  am  to  be  of  use  to  you  hereafter,  you  must 
help  me  at  once.  Lend  me  a  few  thousand  men, 
and  you  shall  have  them  back  when  you  return." 

To  this  proposition  had  Louis  desired  to  lead 
his  astute  guest,  the  balance  in  its  favor  having 
been  determined  by  the  cardinal's  opinion. 

"What  use  is  to  be  made  of  my  soldiers?"  he 
asked  with  seeming  hesitation. 

"  Sire,  my  cousin,"  answered  Cesare,  "  the  life  to 
which  I  aspire  divides  itself  into  two  parts.  The 
second  will  commence  at  my  father's  death,  which, 
when  it  happens,  will  find  me  prepared,  so  far  as 


DIPLOMACY.  227 

human  foresight  can  make  ready,  for  every  event. 
But  I  am  yet  in  the  first  period,  and  what  is  urgent 
is  the  completion  of  the  task  to  begin  which  you 
lent  me  Ives  d'Allegre." 

"Your  province  will  suffer  an  indigestion  if  it 
absorb  too  much — Florence,  for  instance." 

"It  is  difficult  to  be  explicit  where  so  many  con- 
tingencies may  arise." 

"  But  you  will  give  me  back  my  regiments  deci- 
mated, if  you  fling  them  at  every  rampart." 

"  I  will  pay  a  purse  of  gold  for  every  man  killed." 

"  And  should  I  later  have  a  disagreement  with 
de  Cordova  ?  " 

"  I  will  stand  as  your  buttress  against  the 
Spaniard,  ready  to  open  you  a  broad  avenue  of 
approach  when  you  seek  him  on  the  Volturno." 

"  You  shall  give  me  a  hostage  for  this." 

"You  shall  have  the  Pope  himself." 

"  I  expect  a  war  contribution." 

"  Whatever  sum  named  shall  be  paid." 

"And  supplies  for  my  troops  at  points  on  the 
route,"  pursued  the  King,  finding  his  visitor  so 
complaisant. 

"They  shall  be  fattened  for — the  slaughter,"  an- 
swered Cesare  with  a  laugh. 

"  And  stay  ;  my  beloved  spouse  is  building  an 
oratory  ;  find  me  a  pair  of  alabaster  pillars  ;  upon 
these  conditions  you  shall  have  Langres'  corps  for 
a  couple  of  months.  And  now  farewell ;  you  must 


228  VALENTINO. 

be  tired — no? — remember  you  sup  with  me  this 
evening ;  till  then  adieu  ;  all  is  now  understood 
and  agreed  between  us,  is  it  not? " 

Cesare  Borgia  in  that  instant  beheld  the  real- 
ization of  his  utmost  wish ;  his  turbulent  lieuten- 
ants humbled ;  Florence  at  his  feet :  central  Italy 
welded  for  him  into  the  largest  and  strongest  state 
in  the  Peninsula — and  he  took  the  hand  the  King 
extended,  kissed  it,  and  answered  impassively, 
"  Sire,  my  cousin,  it  is  so  agreed  between  us." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MAGIONE. 

THE  Castle  of  Magione,  near  Lake  Thrasimene, 
was  one  of  the  strongest  fiefs  of  the  Orsini,  and  to 
it,  in  the  moment  of  alarm,  had  the  condottieri 
generals,  and  two  or  three  who  shared  their  danger, 
been  summoned  for  the  council  which  Pandolfo 
Petrucci  proposed. 

It  has  suffered  little  change  in  outward  appear- 
ance. Only  the  defences  of  the  gateway  are  gone, 
the  cortile  has  been  modernized,  and  the  chambers 
and  broad  balconies  around  it  are  dismantled.  It 
is  a  quadrangular  enclosure  with  four  tall  and  mas- 
sive towers,  beside  one  of  which  is  a  hall  designated 
by  tradition  as  that  in  which  the  barons  met. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  last  day  of  September, 
1502,  Cardinal  Orsini  and  Giovanni  Baglioni  set 
out  from  Perugia  and  rode  away  in  the  liquid  yel- 
low of  the  twilight  towards  the  great  pines  that 
stood  motionless  upon  the  northern  horizon. 

At  Magione,  Pagolo  and  Francesco  Orsini  awaited 
— the  secrecy  which  that  age  so  well  understood  was 
pledged  by  all,  and  every  precaution  of  vedettes 


230  VALENTINO. 

concealed  without  and  of  sentinels  within  the 
castle  had  been  observed. 

The  first  to  appear  was  Oliverotto,  who  now 
styled  himself  "da  Fermo."  Vitellozzo  presented 
himself  soon  after ;  at  ten  o'clock  came  Petrucci, 
who  had  been  ferried  across  the  lake,  and  had 
walked,  portly  and  breathless,  up  the  hillside. 
Half  an  hour  later  Cardinal  Orsini  and  Baglioni  ap- 
proached from  Perugia,  and  all  having  now  arrived, 
the  gate  was  closed  and  a  repast  of  frittura  of  fish, 
followed  by  cold  meats,  with  a  damigiana  of  red 
wine,  was  served  in  the  refectory. 

The  common  danger  made  all  equals,  but  it  like- 
wise produced  a  taciturn  constraint  ;  moreover, 
Baglioni  detested  Vitellozzo ;  Petrucci  had  never 
met  the  plebeian  Oliverotto  ;  while  Vitellozzo,  sus- 
pecting Cardinal  Orsini  of  designs  upon  Citta  di 
Castello,  addressed  him  as  Eminentissimo  len  venuto 
with  poorly  dissembled  ill-will.  They  were  served 
by  a  single  servant,  of  whom  Pagolo  remarked  he 
was  more  trusty  than  his  betters.  Oliverotto  eat 
in  silence  with  affected  nonchalance ;  Vitellozzo 
sipped  a  little  wine,  and  then,  resting  both  arms  on 
the  table,  listened  indifferently  to  the  gossip  with 
which  the  cardinal  sought  to  pass  away  the  min- 
utes. 

Pagolo  took  advantage  of  a  pause  to  remark 
upon  the  fatigue  which  those  of  his  guests  who 
had  ridden  from  a  distance  must  experience,  and 


MAOIONE.  231 

to  suggest  that  nothing  profitable  could  be  deter- 
mined that  night. 

"Let  me  commend  you  to  refreshing  sleep,"  he  con- 
cluded ;  "  the  morning's  refection  will  be  served  in 
your  chambers,  and  at  noon  we  will  assemble  here." 

Baglioni  waited  to  talk  with  Gravina ;  Pagolo 
and  Petrucci  escorted  the  cardinal  to  his  door, 
while  Vitellozzo  and  Oliverotto  lingered  on  the  stair. 

"  You  have  been  more  favored  than  I,"  observed 
the  former. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Oliverotto  with  the  accent  of  a 
man  haunted  rather  by  some  unwelcome  remem- 
brance than  encouraged  by  a  memory  of  triumph. 
"  The  stroke  succeeded ;  for  six  years  have  I  borne 
it  in  my  thoughts,  and  often  seen  it  distorted  in 
dreams ;  but  now  that  it  appears  no  longer  as  a 
purpose,  but  only  as  an  afterthought,  I  grow  weary 
of  it  by  day,  and  by  night  it  hinders  my  slumber." 

"  Bah  ! "  ejaculated  Vitellozzo,  "you  sacrifice  but 
scantily  to  fortune,  if  such  be  your  thanks.  I  too 
carried  a  project  from  my  youth  and  beheld  its 
realization  torn  from  me.  And  now  the  Orsini  dis- 
trust me,  the  Florentines  hate  me,  and  Borgia " 

"  Hist,"  whispered  his  companion,  "  here  comes 
Pagolo  to  bid  us  to  our  cells." 

The  morning  of  the  first  of  October,  1502,  opened 
cold  and  damp,  and  after  one  faint  effort  to  pierce 
the  clouds,  the  sun  disappeared  and  the  rain  fell 


232  VALENTINO. 

steadily.  A  mist  gathered  on  the  hillside,  conceal- 
ing Lake  Thrasimene,  while  the  features  of  adjacent 
slopes  and  summits  remained  undistinguishable. 
Within,  those  who  had  arrived  the  night  before  lay 
late  abed,  with  no  motive  to  set  them  afoot,  and 
nothing  to  think  of  but  the  impending  conference 
which  each  was  conscious  would  be  accounted 
treason.  Should  they  fail  to  come  in  accord,  and 
ever  pass  within  the  scope  of  vengeance,  how  slight 
must  be  their  hope  of  escape  or  mercy.  This  re- 
flection put  them  into  as  conciliatory  a  mood  to- 
wards one  another  as  was  possible  for  designing 
and  relentless  men. 

The  room  wherein  they  assembled  was  such  as 
is  found  in  every  mediaeval  castle,  with  red-tiled 
floor,  carved  chairs  covered  with  fox-skins,  a  press 
at  one  end,  a  settle  at  the  other,  a  dining  table  in 
the  centre  with  a  wooden  bread  rack  suspended 
above  it,  and  groupings  of  weapons  and  armor  on 
the  walls;  projecting  into  the  room  was  a  huge 
fireplace,  in  which  were  often  grilled  and  roasted, 
before  the  eyes  of  the  hungry  feasters,  the  meats  of 
their  repast ;  along  the  sloping  mantel  were  drink- 
ing vessels,  while  on  the  wall  hung  two  pictures 
from  the  hand  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  then  rising  to 
fame.  On  a  shutter  at  a  southern  window,  between 
lattices  of  straw  matting,  was  a  fantastically  colored 
sun-dial,  and  beneath  in  old  Italian  the  inscription ; 
/  mark  but  the  shining  hours. 


MAGIONE.  233 

The  superstitious  Petrucci  noted  the  words  and 
its  signless  front  as  of  ill  omen,  accentuated  by  the 
boding  aspect  of  a  cat  which  crouched  in  the  win- 
dow and  fixed  its  great  green  eyes  upon  him.  On 
the  opposite  panel,  in  monkish  Latin,  was  the  in- 
scription : 

The  three  chief  misfortunes  :  childhood  without 
parents  ;  manhood  ivithout  love  ;  age  without  money. 

"  Who  have  we  in  the  room  adjoining  mine  that 
lies  so  ill  ?  "  asked  Baglioni  of  Pagolo  Orsini. 

"  An  old  monk  brought  in  two  days  since,  weak, 
hungry,  suffering,  half  dying ;  our  capellano  took 
compassion  and  gave  him  food  and  lodging  for  a 
few  days :  we  had  to  despatch  our  riverente  on  a 
journey  before  this  rendezvous,  so  the  stranger  is 
left  to  shift  pretty  much  for  himself,  which  he  does 
by  sleeping — at  least  he  has  been  in  a  doze  when- 
ever my  brother  or  I  peeped  in.  He  is  safe  under 
lock  and  bolt,  never  fear." 

Petrucci  approached  Cardinal  Orsini. 

"How  fares  your  Eminence  to-day?"  he  cour- 
teously inquired. 

"Ill,  sorely  ill,"  answered  the  cardinal,  raising 
his  hand  to  his  cheek;  "toothache  all  night— this 
wet  weather  makes  it  worse.  Teeth  are  the  greatest 
curse  with  which  nature  plagues  us :  through  life 
they  arc  at  the  mercy  of  every  roving  leech,  and  in 
old  age  the  few  that  have  escaped  the  pincers  drop 
out  or  split  the  head  with  pain." 


234  VALENTINO. 

' '  Know  you  that  there  is  a  battle-field  yonder 
where  Hannibal  routed  the  legionaries  of  the  Con- 
sul Flaminius  ?  "  asked  Baglioni  of  Gravina. 

"I  must  have  ridden  across  it  while  falconing, 
but  'tis  impossible  to  identify  the  spot." 

"  I  have  always  believed,"  said  Cardinal  Orsini, 
joining  them,  "  that  the  Roman  defeats  were  due  to 
the  absurd  shortness  of  the  sword.  The  Gauls  of 
Brennus,  the  Germans  under  Arminius,  the  Cartha- 
ginians led  by  Hannibal,  all  used  long  swords,  and 
all  vanquished  the  Romans  with  their  thick,  little 
blades." 

"  Then  why  did  not  the  Romans  lengthen  their 
weapons  ? " 

"  Because  the  soldiers  of  Marius  and  Cunctator 
preferred  death  to  owning  a  mistake." 

They  seated  themselves  around  the  table,  and  a 
silence  followed  which  was  broken  by  the  cardinal. 

"Methinks,"  he  said,  "that  we  have  separate 
things  to  consider  which  should  be  treated  in  suc- 
cession; some  have  suffered  wrongs,  some  stand  in 
present  danger,  all  are  concerned  for  the  future. 
Shall  we  take  them  in  this  order  ?  " 

Petrucci  and  Baglioni  nodded  approval,  and 
Vitellozzo  said : 

"  Mine  is  the  grief  and  the  danger.  I  have  lost 
Arezzo,  Borgia  has  sold  my  life  against  the  favor 
of  the  French — how  can  I  resist  singly  ?  " 

"  But  you  are  not  alone,"  answered  Petrucci ;  "  I 


MAGIONB.  235 

for  one  will  stand  with  you  since  in  your  fall  I  see 
my  own.  Valentino,  whom  you  have  followed  to 
your  misfortune,  proposed  to  Florence  an  alliance, 
provided  he  were  allowed  to  take  Siena  and — 

"  And  I,"  interrupted  Baglioni,  "  stand  in  similar 
peril.  It  comes  to  me  from  the  Vatican,  through 
sources  not  to  be  denied,  that  Perugia  is  viewed  as 
the  link  to  cement  Romagna  with  Borne.  I  have 
only  eight  hundred  trained  men,  but  the  people 
cast  their  lot  with  me,  and  I,  like  Petrucci,  dare 
not  let  you  perish ;  but  on  your  side,  you  shall 
pledge  to  maintain  us." 

"I,  too,  enter  that  compact,"  said  Oliverotto. 
"  Secure  me  Fermo,  and  I  promise  two  thousand 
men." 

"Four  of  us  of  one  mind  already,"  ejaculated 
Petrucci ;  "  the  Orsini  only  have  not  spoken,"  he 
added,  with  a  glance  at  the  cardinal,  who  in  answer 
to  this  challenge,  and  speaking  with  more  measure 
than  was  usual  to  his  fluent  discourse,  said : 

"I  answer  for  myself,  and  for  one  not  here — 
Guidobaldo  of  Urbino.  That  some  of  us  are  ready 
to  stand  by  one  another  for  self-interest's  sake  is 
obvious.  There  is  a  wider  reach  that  holds  all  that 
is  most  important.  Our  peril  is  not  to  be  dissem- 
bled. Were  it  not  wise,  think  you,  to  reduce  the 
danger  by  diminishing  the  force  which  threatens ; 
to  strike  at  the  same  time  that  we  gather  side  by 
side,  to  seize  the  opportunities  of  surprise,  to  smite 


236  VALENTINO. 

the  wolf  in  the  fangs  by  restoring  his  possessions 
to  the  lord  of  Urbino  ?  " 

So  bold  a  proposition  was  received  in  silence. 
Presently  Pagolo  answered : 

"To  join  for  mutual  protection  is  one  thing;  to 
assail  Borgia  on  his  own  ground  is  to  double  the 
hazard." 

"  There  can  be  no  half  measures,"  broke  in  Gra- 
vina ;  "  this  meeting  alone  severs  our  fealty ;  we 
shall  inevitably  be  destroyed  unless  we  deal  a  crip- 
pling blow  at  the  outset." 

"  A  '  crippling  blow '  is  easily  said,"  retorted 
Vitellozzo,  "  but  suppose  Cesare  comes  back  from 
Milan  with  a  French  army ! " 

This  seemed  an  unanswerable  suggestion,  but 
the  ready  cardinal  took  up  the  thread  again,  and, 
modifying  his  discourse,  resumed  : 

"  But  you  have  not  allowed  me  to  finish  ;  I  was 
going  on  to  say  there  is  a  middle  course  which  the 
Venetian  ambassador  proposed  to  me.  Suppose 
Guidobaldo  presents  himself  at  Urbino,  you  can 
let  him  enrol  a  few  hundred  of  your  men  as  his 
own ;  the  people  will  rise  against  the  garrison, 
which  is  not  a  strong  one,  and  the  loss  of  the  place 
would  be  so  severe  a  stroke  that  Borgia  would  be 
disposed  to  accept  our  terms." 

"That  may  do  if  we  deal  with  him  alone,  but 
you  evade  the  contingency  of  his  bringing  an  army 
from  Milan." 


MAGIONE.  237 

"  There  is  such  a  thing  as  bestowing  too  much 
importance  upon  the  French ;  if  Venice  were  but 
clear  of  the  Turks,  the  French  could  not  maintain 
themselves  this  side  the  Alps." 

"  That,  however,  is  merely  an  '  if ; '  we  need  look 
for  nothing  from  the  Venetians  but  their  detesta- 
tion of  the  French  and  their  dislike  for  Borgia." 

"Suppose,"  said  Pagolo  Orsini,  "that  we  cast 
up  our  resources  and  see  what  army  we  could  put  in 
the  field.  I  have  two  thousand  five  hundred  men." 

"And  I,"  added  Graviua,  "have  twenty-three 
hundred." 

"  I  can  spare  fifteen  hundred  from  Fermo,"  re- 
marked Oliverotto. 

"And  I  a  thousand  from  Citta  di  Castello,"  said 
Vitellozzo. 

"  Only  a  thousand — only  fifteen  hundred,"  cried 
Baglioui,  who  was  keeping  count.  "Your  corps 
have  shrivelled  like  birds  shrunk  to  grasshoppers. 
I  should  never  have  feared  you,  Vitellozzo,  had  I 
known  your  band  so  scanty." 

"You  had  three  thousand  at  Arezzo,"  interposed 
Gravina,  "  and  lost  not  fifty  men  in  the  campaign." 

"  You  can  bring  more  than  a  thousand,"  remon- 
strated Pefcrucci;  "even  I  will  bring  that  many, 
though  in  doing  so  I  leave  Siena  defenceless." 

"Well,"  answered  Vitellozzo,  doggedly,  "my 
strength  shall  equal  Oliverotto's." 

"And  adding  five  hundred  of  mine,"  resumed 


238  VALENTINO. 

Baglioni,  "  makes  a  total  of  nine  thousand  three 
hundred.  Who  can  tell  what  force  of  Valentino's 
remains  in  Romagna  ?  " 

The  speaker  addressed  this  inquiry  to  Pagolo 
Orsini,  who  replied, 

"The  garrisons  of  Camerino,  Urbino,  Pesaro, 
Forli,  and  Faenza,  taken  together,  cannot  be  more 
than  one  thousand  men.  Candale  has  a  thousand. 
At  Imola  there  is  a  training  camp,  which  Michelotto 
commands.  I  have  heard  him  speak  of  the  force 
gathered  there  as  fifteen  hundred  men." 

"  More  than  that.  Bamiro  d'Orco  told  me  last 
May  that  two  thousand  men  were  in  the  ranks, 
and  they  must  have  increased  since  then." 

"  At  most  four  thousand  five  hundred,  to  our 
nine  thousand  three  hundred,' '  ejaculated  Petrucci ; 
"ours  all  available  for  the  field,  and  one-fourth 
part  of  his  chained  to  a  string  of  towns." 

"  We  cannot  fail  if  we  strike  swiftly,"  exclaimed 
Gravina. 

"  Even  if  he  lead  a  division  of  French,"  assented 
Oliverotto. 

"  You  have  satisfied  us,"  said  Petrucci,  address- 
ing himself  to  the  cardinal,  "  that  Venice  is  not  in 
condition  to  render  us  aid;  think  you  something 
may  be  looked  for  from  Florence  ?  " 

"  You  should  be  the  best  to  answer  that  ques- 
tion," replied  the  cardinal. 

"  If  such  be  the  opinion  of  your  Eminence,  I 


MAOIONR  231) 

will  say  something  of  an  interview  I  had  ten  days 
since  with  Niccolo  Machiavelli,  whom  I  went  to 
see  in  his  house  beside  the  Ponte  Vecchio." 

The  auditory  listened  to  this  announcement  with 
interest,  and  the  cat,  walking  to  Pagolo's  side, 
looked  up  in  his  face,  then  turning,  fixed  its  eyes  in- 
tently upon  the  only  door  giving  access  to  the  room. 

"  I  told  him  some  of  us  had  disapproved  the 
attack  on  Arezzo  ;  that  none  of  Borgia's  captains 
desired  a  collision  with  Florence,  knowing  it  must 
presently  bring  them  in  conflict  with  the  arms  of 
France." 

"  A  plague  on  the  arms  of  France,"  cried  Gra- 
vina,  angrily. 

"  I  added  that  after  the  affairs  of  Camerino  and 
Urbino  not  one  of  us  felt  safe,  and  he  laughed  and 
said,  'It  takes  a  brave  man  to  dare  be  Borgia's 
servant.'  Then  I  asked  if  Florence  would  make  a 
league  with  us,  to  which  he  answered,  '  On  which 
side,  will  be  tJie  French  ? '  and  though  I  spent  an 
hour  trying  to  convince  him  that  King  Louis  and 
Valentino  were  now  embroiled,  I  could  not  get  a 
word  further  than  this  in  one  shape  or  another: 
'  Show  me  first  which  way  will  be  the  French.'  " 

"Your  investigation  has  chiefly  shown,  then,  that 
Machiavelli  is  a  man  of  doubt,"  observed  the  car- 
dinal. 

"  Could  not  his  uncertainty  have  been  deter- 
mined by  a  fat  purse  ?  "  asked  Baglioni, 


240  VALENTINO. 

"  You  little  know  him,"  answered  Petrucci ;  "  he 
is  the  purest  man  in  Italy." 

"  Then,"  asked  Oliverotto,  impatiently,  "  to  what 
purpose  was  your  visit?  " 

"My  conversation  with  him,"  continued  Pe- 
trucci, studiously  avoiding  addressing  himself  to 
Oliverotto,  "  satisfied  me  that  should  France  re- 
main neutral,  we  may  expect  a  couple  of  thousand 
Tuscans  to  aid  us  by  way  of  retaliation  for  Borgia's 
attack  upon  Arezzo." 

"What  a  pity  we  have  no  news  from  Milan," 
ejaculated  Baglioni. 

"It  is  comical,"  observed  the  cardinal,  with  a 
chuckle,  "  that  I,  who  am  an  old  man,  and  come 
from  far,  should  discover  what  you  young  knights 
near  by  have  groped  for  in  vain." 

"  What  have  you  discovered  ?  "  cried  Vitellozzo, 
eagerly. 

"  That  Valentino  offered  King  Louis  gold  with- 
out count  and  the  support  of  his  arms  in  return 
for  aid  ;  that  in  reply  the  King  reproached  him 
with  ill  treatment  of  his  wife,  overwhelmed  him 
with  proofs  of  bad  faith  at  Arezzo,  and  refused 
more  than  a  regiment  of  Swiss." 

A  murmur  of  surprise  went  round,  and  more 
than  one  face  beamed  with  exultation. 

"  How  came  you  by  this  information  ?  "  asked 
the  mistrustful  Petrucci. 

"I   learned   it  through  Cardinal  Corneto,  who 


MAGIONE.  241 

stole  Cesare's  despatch  to  the  Pope  from  among 
his  Holiness's  private  papers." 

"  If  this  be  true,  Borgia  is  at  our  mercy." 

"  How  mean  you,  if  it  be  true  ?  " 

"  That  the  Borgias  are  not  easily  caught  nap- 
ping." 

"  You  might  have  been  outspoken,  and  told  us 
this  at  once,"  said  Vitellozzo,  peevishly  ;  "  it  half 
looks  like  a  trick  of  the  old  fox." 

"  I  did  not  tell  it  until  you  showed  yourselves 
in  earnest  and  ready  to  stand  together.  As  for  a 
trick,  I  tell  you  the  letter  was  taken  from  Alexan- 
der's private  chest ;  it  is  the  confidential  statement 
of  Cesare  to  his  father." 

"  You  have  seen  this  letter  ?  " 

"  Only  a  copy." 

"  Is  that  copy  here  ?  " 

"  Think  you  I  durst  travel  with  such  evidence 
upon  me  ? " 

"  I  cannot  satisfy  myself  that  there  is  not  some 
pitfall  here,"  objected  Petrucci. 

"We  have  had  doubts  enough,"  answered  Gra- 
vina  ;  "let  us  pass  to  a  decision." 

"  There  are  two  courses,"  said  Pagolo  Orsini  ; 
"  either  to  watch  events  while  Guidobaldo  tries  his 
teeth  on  Urbino,  or  to  join  him  in  the  attack  with 
one  of  our  columns,  while  the  rest  of  our  force 
pushes  upon  Imola." 

"  A  hazardous  adventure,"  commented  Baglioni. 
11 


242  VALENTINO. 

11  But  something  must  be  risked,  whatever  we 
do ;  merely  being  afraid  will  neither  disarm  nor 
conciliate." 

"Be  it  determined  by  a  vote,"  quoth  the  car- 
dinal. "  Is  it  to  be  the  peril  of  resistance,  or  the 
peril  of  attack,  and  all  shall  abide  by  the  decision?  " 

"  Be  it  so,"  assented  those  about  him. 

"  You  were  first  to  speak,"  said  the  cardinal, 
addressing  Vitellozzo,  "  will  you  be  first  now  ?  " 

"For  the  extreme  course — and  Arezzo,"  answered 
the  lord  of  Citta  di  Castello. 

"That  is  a  just  claim,"  threw  in  Oliverotto. 
"And  I  speak  for  attack — sudden  and  swift;  and 
you  shall  hold  me  harmless  at  Fermo." 

"  I  agree  to  what  you  both  have  said,"  spoke  up 
Gravina  ;  "  unlike  you  both,  I  have  nothing  to  ask." 

The  words  were  followed  by  a  pause.  Three 
had  spoken  for  attack,  four  were  yet  to  declare 
themselves ;  one  more  voice  for  the  initiative,  and 
they  stood  committed  to  an  immediate  struggle 
with  their  redoubtable  commander. 

"Come,"  cried  Oliverotto,  scowling  about  him, 
"  dare  you  not  even  confess  yourselves  afraid,  and 
say — No" 

"  I  accept  the  omen,"  exclaimed  Pagolo,  cross- 
ing himself ;  "  my  heart  speaks  for  concession  ; 
let  us  arm  and  stand  together,  but  nothing  more." 

"So,  too,  say  I,"  assented  the  cautious  Petrucci ; 
"  better  the  edge,  than  the  bottom  of  the  abyss." 


MAGIONE.  243 

"  And  with  that  opinion  stand  I,"  spoke  Bagli- 
oni ;  "let  us  arm,  but  not  strike." 

"  Arm  and  be  struck  then,"  retorted  Gravina. 

All  turned  toward  Cardinal  Orsini,  whose  word 
was  now  to  decide  the  action  of  all.  The  eccle- 
siastic glanced  round  the  circle  of  eager  faces,  and 
his  gaze  rested  upon  the  anxious  countenance  of 
Pagolo.  For  that  brief  instant  the  foreboding  of 
the  younger  man  fell  on  the  elder.  Then,  with  a 
brusque  self-constraint  he  said  : 

"  I  cast  my  lot  for  attack.  I  should  be  here  to 
small  purpose  were  it  for  else  than  to  urge  you 
upon  the  common  foe.  Be  of  good  cheer,  bold 
hearts,  the  superior  force  is  yours,  the  advantage 
of  surprise  is  yours,  yours  will  be  the  rich  division 
in  place  of  the  peril  that  spurs  to  this  steep  road 
to  safety." 

Not  till  three  hours  after  the  meridian  did  the 
confederates  bring  to  a  close  their  consultation 
upon  details.  The  sanguinary  decision  once 
taken,  the  afternoon  dragged  heavily  on,  the  sound 
of  falling  rain  continuing  without,  while  within  the 
shadows  deepened  around  the  crackling  fire.  Now 
and  again  Gravina  paused  in  his  fretful  striding 
up  and  down,  and  threw  fresh  logs  across  the  and- 
irons. Pagolo  spoke  in  monosyllables,  while  Pe- 
trucci  and  Baglioni  listened  with  reserve  to  the 
conclusions  successively  arrived  at. 


244  VALENTINO. 

At  length  Vitellozzo  rose  and  stretched  himself. 
"  We  have  had  care  enough,"  he  said  ;  "  give  us  a 
morsel  to  eat,  Pagolo,  and  a  flagon  apiece  to  warm 
our  blood  for  the  night  ride." 

"  They  should  have  been  offered  before,  but  that 
in  resolves  such  as  these  one  must  beware  the 
coward  courage  of  the  cup." 

So  saying,  Pagolo  left  the  room  to  summon  his 
trusted  attendant. 

"  I  will  not  leave  to-night  in  the  face  of  this 
storm,"  said  Oliverotto,  "  provided  Gravina  will 
let  me  rest  within  these  walls." 

"  I  shall  ride  to  Citta  di  Castello  without  draw- 
ing rein,"  exclaimed  Vitellozzo,  with  reproof  in  his 
voice. 

"  I  long  for  Perugia,"  observed  Baglioni. 

"And  I  for  Siena,"  echoed  Petrucci;  "it  is  a 
sign  of  age  that  I  sleep  ill  in  any  bed  but  my 
own." 

A  loud,  harsh  cry  of  alarm  rang  from  the  stair- 
way. 

All  recognized  the  voice  of  Pagolo. 

"  Gravina !  Vitellozzo  !  "  he  shouted,  "  help, 
quick !  We  are  betrayed  !  " 

They  made  their  way  to  him  before  his  words 
ceased  to  sound  along  the  wall  ?  Oliverotto,  sword 
in  hand,  was  first  at  his  side. 

Pagolo's  face  had  blanched  to  the  hue  of  lep- 
rosy. His  hands  clutched  the  arms  of  those  who 


MAOIONE.  245 

gathered  about  him,  his  frame  quivered  with 
emotion,  his  voice,  after  that  one  effort,  had  sunk 
to  a  husky  whisper.  He  motioned  to  a  half- 
open  door,  and  Gravina,  Vitellozzo  and  Oliverotto 
sprang  to  it,  the  cardinal,  Baglioni  and  Petrucci 
following  at  safe  distance. 

Gravina  threw  wide  the  door  of  the  chamber  to 
which  his  brother  pointed,  and  all  entered.  It  was 
the  room  that  had  been  occupied  by  the  infirm 
Dominican. 

On  the  floor  lay  the  servant  Niccolo  dead,  a 
stiletto  stab  through  his  heart. 

"  Merciful  powers !  "  cried  the  cardinal,  horror- 
struck,  "  how  conies  this  ?  " 

"  The  monk  that  lay  here  abed " 

"  What  of  him  ?" 

"  Has  disappeared !  " 

"  After  listening  to  every  word !  " 

"He  cannot  have  escaped;  we  shall  find  him 
hidden  somewhere  in  the  castle." 

"Look!"  exclaimed  Gravina,  "Niccolo's  keys 
are  gone." 

"  What  keys  were  they  ?  " 

"Duplicates  opening  every  lock  and  door." 

Pagolo  smote  himself  in  the  face  with  both  hands. 

"  Then  he  has  escaped  by  the  subterranean  pas- 
sage to  the  lake,"  he  groaned.  "  It  has  long  been 
unused,  the  entrance  is  hidden — it  must  have  been 
left  unguarded." 


246  VALENTINO. 

"  Unguarded ! "  cried  Gravina  in  amazement ; 
"  oh,  Pagolo,  it  is  time  to  die  when  we  leave  our 
castle  gates  unguarded." 

"Nay,"  said  the  cardinal,  "we  know  not  but 
that  Fabio  may  have  stationed  a  sentry  at  its  en- 
trance. Arouse  the  guards,  scatter  your  troopers 
in  pursuit — he  may  yet  be  taken." 

Baglioni  and  Petrucci  exchanged  grim  looks  as 
the  Orsini,  followed  by  Yitellozzo  and  Oliverotto, 
rushed  noisily  from  the  room. 

"An  ominous  commencement,"  muttered  Pe- 
trucci in  his  subdued  tone. 

The  other  beckoned  to  him,  and  together  they 
withdrew. 

"  Let  us  go,  and  quickly,"  said  Baglioni — "  let  us 
save  ourselves  while  we  may." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

REVOLT. 

THE  sun  was  disappearing  amid  a  mass  of  opal- 
escent clouds.  Upon  the  horizon  glowed  the  rich 
coloring  of  October,  and  nearer,  the  landscape 
brightened  in  places  where  the  foliage  tints  had 
mellowed  on  the  mountain  sides,  and  the  vines  on 
terraces  and  garden-walls  had  crimsoned. 

The  sunset  hues  swooned  to  the  grays  of  twi- 
light as  Valentino,  at  the  head  of  a  little  cavalcade, 
trotted  along  the  Bolognese  road  towards  Imola, 
whose  lights  shone  out  ruddy  through  the  gather- 
ing mist.  A  startling  summons  had  recalled  him 
from  Milan,  and  he  had  been  further  hastened  by 
a  second  despatch  received  midway.  Arriving  at 
the  palace,  he  threw  himself  from  his  horse,  and 
returned  the  brief  greeting  of  Michelotto  and  Can- 
dale,  who  impatiently  awaited  his  coming ;  his  face 
was  paler  than  usual,  and  beneath  his  eyes  was  the 
tint  of  blue  that  betrays  nervous  fatigue.  He 
ascended  the  stair,  motioning  the  others  to  fol- 
low; they  entered  an  apartment,  the  attendants 
withdrew,  and  Caudale,  noticing  that  his  master 


248  VALENTINO. 

cast  distrait  looks  about,  as  though  wondering  at 
the  absence  of  some  one,  murmured : 

"  She  left  when  the  news  came,  and  went  to 
Urbino." 

"  Urbino  was  no  place  of  safety.  Whose  choice 
was  that  ?  " 

"  Donna  Elvira's  own.  She  declared  you  would 
arrive  in  time  to  save  the  castle,  and  vowed  her 
life  to  prolong  its  defence — so  says  the  abbess  of 
the  convent  yonder." 

"  It  is  a  useless  danger ;  you  did  wrong  to  let 
her  go." 

"  Nothing  short  of  fetters  would  have  kept  her, 
and  as  to  useless  danger,  the  garrison  is  filled  with 
ardor  at  her  presence ;  and  whereas  three  days 
since  the  walls  would  have  been  abandoned  at 
sight  of  the  enemy,  they  will  be  held  now  till  you 
come." 

The  pages  returned  bearing  a  tray  on  which  was 
a  fiaschetto  of  red  wine  and  some  toasted  bread 
and  salt  fish.  Cesare  unbuckled  his  sword,  threw 
aside  his  cape,  drew  off  a  pair  of  riding-boots  and 
substituted  velvet  slippers.  He  drank  one  glass 
of  wine,  swallowed  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  address- 
ing Don  Michele,  said : 

"  Let  us  speak — and  briefly:  who  is  now  in  com- 
mand at  Urbino  ?  " 

"  Pedro  de  Castro  for  this  day  and  night." 

"  You  return,  then,  immediately  ?  " 


REVOLT.  249 

"  Yes.     I  came  here  to  see  you  for  an  hour." 
"  You  sent  a  despatch  to  Milan  saying  that  Vitel- 
lozzo,  Oliverotto  and  the  Orsini  are  in  arms  against 
me." 

"  I  heard  their  deliberation  with  my  own  ears." 
"  Ah !  "   cried  Valentino,  with   long-drawn   sur- 
prise. 

"  Yes,"  pursued  Michelotto,  "  ever  since  the  affair 
of  Arezzo,  you  have  had  Vitellozzo  and  the  Orsini 
watched ;  your  spies  were  of  small  avail  for  such 
delicate  work  as  finding  how  far  the  agreement  of 
half  a  dozen  men  had  proceeded  ;  they  discovered, 
however,  that  towards  the  last  of  September  the 
Orsini  betook  themselves  to  a  remote  castle  beside 
Thrasimene.  I  hastened  thither  from  Urbino, 
assumed  the  dress  of  a  mendicant  friar,  went 
through  the  farce  of  being  thrown  from  a  mule, 
begged  leave  to  rest  and  recover,  and  was  admitted. 
"  The  Orsini  looked  in  upon  me  in  my  darkened 
chamber,  but  my  cowl  and  a  long  gray  beard  worn 
for  the  occasion  would  have  disguised  me  against  a 
far  more  searching  scrutiny.  So  lay  I  two  days,  not 
daring  to  stir,  scarce  venturing  so  much  as  to  answer 
the  questions  of  an  old  menial  who  brought  me 
pottage  with  bread  and  wine.  On  the  second  night 
there  was  unusual  stir — the  movement  of  horses  in 
the  court-yard,  the  tread  of  soldiers.  The  only 
opening  in  my  room  besides  the  door  was  a  slip  of 
a  window  so  high  that  one  could  get  sight  of  noth- 
11* 


250  VALENTINO. 

ing  except  a  bit  of  sky  and,  by  straining  much,  a 
line  of  mullions." 

"To  thy  conclusion,"  broke  in  Valentino;  "what 
matter  sky  and  mullions  ?  " 

"  At  midnight  I  heard  the  voices  of  Vitellozzo 
and  Oliverotto.  In  the  morning,  when  the  old  man 
came,  '  I  scarce  slept  for  the  noise,'  said  I ;  *  has 
some  mishap  befallen  ? '  '  No,'  he  answered, 
'  only  a  couple  of  knights  stopped  for  shelter 
from  this  storm.'  All  the  morning  I  waited  and 
listened ;  the  old  man  took  each  a  tray  of  food  to 
his  room,  and  by  this  means  I  learned  their  num- 
ber. One  by  one,  towards  noon,  they  went  down- 
stairs, and  some  one  bolted  my  door  on  the  out- 
side. When  all  was  still  I  cut  a  little  hole  in  the 
woodwork,  pried  back  the  bolt,  and  followed  after 
them.  I  heard  all  that  was  needful— my  despatch 
gave  you  the  substance  of  their  discourse. 

"  I  was  returning  to  my  cell,  intending  to  bolt  my- 
self in,  conceal  the  aperture  I  had  made,  and  leave 
the  castle  on  the  following  day,  when — I  came  full 
upon  the  old  servant ;  before  he  could  stir  or 
raise  an  alarm,  I  stabbed  him  to  the  heart. 

"I  had  heard  of  the  subterranean  passage  of 
Magione,  and,  guarded  as  the  castle  was,  I  could 
leave  by  no  other  way.  The  old  man  had  a  bunch 
of  keys  at  his  girdle;  I  took  them  and  fled. 

"I  made  my  way  noiselessly  to  the  cellars  and 
passages  beneath  the  castle.  I  scarce  know  how  in 


REVOLT.  251 

the  darkness  I  found  the  entrance.  I  hastened 
along  the  passage — at  length  I  was  out,  locked  the 
gate  behind  me,  tossed  away  the  keys  and  my  friar's 
disguise.  The  rain  and  mist  were  so  dense  I  could 
scarce  discern  the  walls  of  Magione  behind,  or  the 
surface  of  Thrasimene  before.  A  fishing-boat  lay  on 
the  beach,  and  some  men  loitered  near  by ;  for  a 
ducat  apiece  they  rowed  me  across  to  Castiglione. 
Not  long  after  we  lost  the  sight  of  land  came  the 
baying  of  dogs  and  the  clamor  of  men  from  Magi- 
one  ;  I  shuddered  at  the  sound,  then  laughed — 
laughed  till  the  boatmen  eyed  me  amazed,  my 
nerves  recovered  from  their  tension,  the  danger 
that  had  been  so  imminent  was  over." 

Valentino  remained  a  moment  lost  in  reverie; 
then  looking  up,  he  said  : 

"Urbino  may  be  taken  while  we  talk ;  haste  you 
back,  and  commence  to-morrow  the  inevitable  re- 
treat ;  instead  of  fighting  there,  we  will  gather 
here  three  days  nearer  to  the  French." 

"And  lose  Urbino!"  ejaculated  his  lieutenants, 
with  one  voice. 

"  Maledetto !  we  will  retake  it  when  these  wolves 
are  scattered.  How  strong  is  the  garrison?" 

"Less  than  a  thousand." 

"  At  best  one  to  five.  At  dawn  to-morrow  send 
hither  the  Lady  of  Este  with  an  escort ;  at  sunrise 
start  the  cannon,  and  towards  noon  march  with 
the  garrison." 


252  VALENTINO. 

"  But  you  will  be  with  us  ?  " 

"  Three  dangers  threaten.  The  least  of  them  is 
at  Urbino,  and  that  I  bid  you  withdraw  from. 
The  others  are,  that  the  French  may  delay,  and 
that  Florence  may  turn  upon  us  now  that  we  are 
at  such  disadvantage.  These  I  remain  here  to 
meet." 

"  It  is  for  the  first  time, "  answered  Michelotto, 
"  that  you  command  me  to  retire  from  an  enemy  ; 
nevertheless,  I  obey." 

In  the  gray  of  the  following  morning  he  reached 
Urbino,  and  found  all  unchanged  and  the  foe  not 
yet  in  view.  Elvira  was  informed  of  the  resolve  to 
abandon  the  town.  Two  hours  later  the  cannon 
drawn  from  the  ramparts  set  out  by  the  road  that 
she  had  already  taken.  Not  long  after  appeared  a 
vedette  announcing  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 

To  supplement  their  deficiency  in  cavalry,  the 
confederates  had  placed  a  cross-bowman  at  the  side 
of  each  horseman,  holding  by  the  stirrup  leather. 
This  vanguard,  followed  by  Vitellozzo's  corps,  com- 
menced a  flanking  circuit  around  the  city,  while 
the  Orsini  approached  in  front  with  artillery. 
Michelotto  smiled  as  his  practiced  eye  discovered 
only  the  regiments  of  his  former  companions — Pe- 
trucci  and  Baglioni  had  evidently  deemed  absence 
to  be  discretion.  He  turned  to  a  knot  of  officers, 
and  pointing  to  the  horsemen,  said : 

"  They  must  not  reach  our  rear  ;  we  have  seven 


REVOLT.  253 

hundred  men,  half  of  them  mounted ;  we  will  sally 
forth  together  as  their  flank  is  towards  us,  scatter 
them,  and  gain  the  shelter  of  Macerate  forest." 

He  and  his  lieutenants  were  in  full  view  of  the 
approaching  army — a  group  of  mailed  knights 
outlined  on  the  rampart  against  the  sky. 

"Yonder  is  Michelotto,"  said  Gravina  to  his 
brother,  as  they  advanced  beside  the  vanguard; 
"  I  should  know  those  old  yellow  plumes  the  world 
over." 

"He  turns  to  go,"  ejaculated  Pagolo,  "  and  the 
others  follow ;  it  is  either  flight,  or  a  venture  in 
the  open." 

Michelotto's  troops  formed  out  of  view,  and  at 
the  word  the  horsemen  emerged  with  order  and 
rapidity  from  their  concealment  and  trotted  across 
the  plain,  the  three  hundred  pikemen  following. 
At  this  sight  a  bugle  sounded  from  the  confeder- 
ate lines,  then  another,  their  cavalry  wheeled  to 
meet  the  onset,  and  Pagolo  Orisini  took  place 
beside  Vitellozzo. 

The  troopers  of  Borgia  spurred  their  horses  to  a 
gallop ;  the  cross-bowmen  discharged  their  heavy 
bolts,  many  of  which  glanced  from  the  armor  they 
struck,  though  several  men  fell  from  their  saddles 
and  a  score  of  horses  faltered  and  sank  to  the 
earth.  The  horsemen  of  Vitellozzo  now  dashed 
forward  to  the  encounter,  and  the  opposing  squad- 
rons met  with  a  resounding  clash  of  metal.  In  the 


254  VALENTINO. 

melee  that  followed  the  cross-bowmen  again  dis- 
charged their  missiles,  this  time  at  short  distance 
and  with  deadly  effect.  At  the  same  moment,  a 
large  column  of  Orsini's  infantry  that  came  run- 
ning from  the  centre  of  the  field  engaged  the 
pikemen  whom  Don  Michele  led,  and  broke  their 
ranks  by  weight  of  numbers.  Their  leader  was 
borne  backward,  and,  seeing  his  manoeuvre  to 
check  the  enemy's  pursuit  a  failure,  and  his  troops 
in  hopeless  disarray,  he  wheeled  his  horse,  and 
hastened  from  the  field.  One  glance  only  he  cast 
upon  Urbino,  and  beheld  its  parapets  already 
swarming  with  the  advance  of  Oliverotto's  di- 
vision. 

On  the  day  of  this  conflict,  some  hours  later  in 
the  afternoon,  a  page  brought  to  Cesare  at  Imola 
a  summons  which  called  him  abruptly  from  El- 
vira. It  was  the  announcement  of  the  long-ex- 
pected envoy  from  Florence,  and  Cesare  started 
at  the  word,  impressed  with  the  gravity  of  the  con- 
ference about  to  be  held  with  so  astute  a  person- 
age as  Niccolo  Machiavelli. 

The  new-comer  was  ushered  at  once  into  a  hall 
occasionally  used  for  banqueting,  and  fitted  with 
more  than  usual  richness.  On  the  raftered  ceiling 
were  inlaid  painted  porcelain  tiles,  the  latest  lux- 
ury of  the  time ;  the  windows  were  of  illuminated 
glass  ;  on  the  sideboards  were  ranged  green  and 


REVOLT.  255 

ruby  flagons,  and  silver  beakers;  upon  the  walls 
were  fixed  sconces  with  candles ;  while  here  and 
there  between  the  wainscoting  were  frescos  of 
dames  and  gallants  strolling  by  the  waterside,  or 
seated  pensive  with  mandolin  and  lute  beneath 
garden  porticoes,  or  dancing  in  slow  and  grace- 
ful measure  on  the  green  sward,  against  the  clear 
transparent  sky  of  an  Italian  evening. 

They  entered  this  room  simultaneously — the 
two  most  subtle  men  the  genius  of  their  country 
produced  in  their  day — the  most  renowned  and 
the  least  familiarly  known  of  any  historical  char- 
acters of  the  sixteenth  century. 

It  was  their  first  meeting,  and  they  greeted  one 
another  with  the  warmth  of  a  mutual  interest. 

Cesare  took  in  at  a  glance  the  spare,  well-knit 
figure  of  his  still  youthful  visitor,  clad  in  the  travel- 
ling costume  in  which  he  had  just  come  by  post ; 
then  his  gaze  rested  upon  the  watchful,  brilliant 
eyes,  the  untroubled  brow,  the  calm,  thoughtful 
face,  stamped  with  mental  application. 

Both  in  ripeness  of  intellectual  powers  and  in 
maturity  of  political  experience  Machiavelli  had 
attained  the  acme  of  his  life.  Skilled  by  his 
apprenticeship  in  the  methods  of  the  dark  and 
complicated  statecraft  which  accented  the  decline 
of  Italian  mediaeval  greatness,  he  had  come  to  re- 
gard the  life  of  a  ruler  as  a  magnificent  game — 
power,  the  prize  of  the  successful ;  exile,  impris- 


256  VALENTINO. 

onment,  death,  the  penalty  of  the  vanquished.  In 
his  scale  of  ethics  the  highest  virtue  was  patriotic 
love  of  home  that  took  the  place  of  country — a 
love  so  generous,  that  when  the  native  city  de- 
manded a  crime  the  voice  of  conscience  was  silent. 
In  his  conception,  the  education  of  a  Prince 
should  denude  the  heart  of  sympathy,  the  brain  of 
prejudice,  the  daily  life  of  friendship.  All  men 
should  be  friends  or  foes  according  to  the  occa- 
sion ;  all  things  should  be  good  or  bad  according 
to  necessity.  In  the  place  of  the  softer  traits,  it 
should  develop  the  range  of  mental  and  historic 
vision.  It  should  produce  nerves  which  could  en- 
dure long  fatigue,  be  vigilant  through  the  watches 
of  the  night,  ever  ready  to  confront  danger,  and 
able  to  suffer  reverses,  loss,  physical  pain,  with 
self-command.  So  far  as  his  station  in  life  per- 
mitted, Machiavelli  had  reached  the  attainment 
of  his  ideal ;  in  the  promise  of  the  young  Duke  of 
Komagna  he  foresaw  its  complete  fulfilment. 

Cesare  took  his  guest  by  the  hand,  and  mo- 
tioned him  to  seats  within  an  alcove,  through 
whose  windows  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  were 
streaming. 

"  You  have  kept  me  waiting,"  he  began,  smiling, 
and  with  half-reproachful  tone ;  "  now,  at  the 
eleventh  hour,  you  come  to  judge  how  it  fares  with 
me  in  this  storm." 

"  I  tarried  because  those  who  sent  me  were  yet 


REVOLT.  357 

in  consultation,"  answered  the  Florentine,  in  a 
subdued,  sweet  voice.  "Reputation  and  the  op- 
portunity, says  the  sage,  should  not  be  lost,  and 
the  fortune  of  many  being  at  stake,  we  armed  our- 
selves against  the  fool's  fervor." 

"  Your  Signoria  has  been  put  to  trouble  because 
of  ms." 

"  We  were  contriving  means  to  win  such  a 
friend." 

"  Whoso  scans  me  so  closely  must  discover 
faults.  But  tell  me,  la  bella  Firenze  deliber- 
ates." 

"  We  have  sought  to  inform  ourselves,"  replied 
the  envoy  evasively. 

Borgia  eyed  the  speaker  with  attention. 
"  Let  us  come  nearer  the  subject  uppermost  in 
the  mind  of  both,"  he  said.  "If  not  friends,  we 
would  be  good  neighbors — am  I  not  right  ?  There 
have  been  misunderstandings,  and  some  of  your 
eminent  men  are  estranged ;  but  in  these  perilous 
days  necessity  is  upon  us  both ;  cannot  our  griefs 
be  healed — cannot  Arezzo,  whosoever's  fault  it  was, 
be  forgotten  ?  " 

"Forgiven  it  might  be  ;  forgotten — no." 
"You  dwell  upon  an  idle  distinction." 
"  This  is  not  an  idle  distinction  ;  love  and  hate 
forget,  but  wounded  vanity  never." 

"  Vanity  is  too  frivolous  even  for " 

"  Even  for  Florentines  ?  "  suggested  Machiavelli ; 


258  VALENTINO. 

"  but  you  forget  that  pride  belongs  to  the  strong, 
and  that  it  is  with  bubbles  that  old  men  and  old 
states  beguile  themselves." 

"  Call  it  forgiven,  then,  so  we  dismiss  the  thought 
and  apply  ourselves  to  better  purposes." 

"  In  our  Tuscan  hills  the  peasants  have  a  saying 
— Strength  lays  its  roots  at  home" 

"  An  excellent  device  for  those  who  never  stir 
abroad.  And  by  that  you  mean " 

"  That  while  all  your  officers  and  nine-tenths  of 
your  men  are  in  revolt,  your  alliance  cannot  be  val- 
uable ;  nor  your  possession  of  Romagna  as  secure 
as  ours  of  Arezzo." 

"You  have  not  then  heard  the  news?  " 

"No,"  answered  the  other  dryly;  "it  must  be 
good  news  since  you  alone  possess  it." 

"  Ay,  that  it  is ;  nothing  less  than  that  the  Or- 
sini  are  about  to  resume  their  service  with  me." 

"Then  rid  you  of  such  faithless  knights,"  an- 
swered Machiavelli,  "  for  behold  this  letter  ;  I  got 
it  on  my  way  to  your  presence." 

And  so  saying  he  drew  from  his  breast  a  parch- 
ment which  Valentino  unfolded  and  read  half  aloud. 

We  assault  Urbino  to-morrow;  the  populace  will 
rise  at  our  signal ;  we  are  six  thousand  strong ;  an- 
swer our  offer ;  together  we  overthrow  Borgia  and 
defy  the  French. 

URSINUS, 


REVOLT.  259 

"  From  a  captain  about  to  return  to  your  ser- 
vice," added  the  Florentine. 

Valentino  slowly  raised  his  face  and  answered, 
"these  Barons  seek  to  make  the  best  terms  for 
themselves,  but  they  must  make  terms  with  me ;  I 
am  in  treaty  with  them — the  details  will  arrange 
themselves." 

"  Then  you  no  longer  need  the  French  ?  "  asked 
Machiavelli,  with  a  searching  gaze. 

"  You  think  one  cannot  visit  King  Louis  without 
buying  his  army.  It  was  to  persuade  him  to  re- 
main at  Milan,  to  spare  Central  Italy  his  passage, 
which  would  be  the  signal  for  an  advance  of  the 
Spaniards  upon  Rome,  that  I  sought  him." 

"  If  that  were  indeed  your  motive,"  said  the  Flor- 
entine, incredulously,  "  so  noble  an  aim  should  be 
prospered." 

"  You  think  ill  of  the  French." 

"  I  think  ill  of  any  stranger  who  comes  with  arms 
in  his  hands." 

"  And  I  too  detest  the  invaders,  be  they  of  the 
Seine,  the  Tagus,  or  the  Danube.  May  we  not  as- 
pire to  rest  upon  this  mutual  enmity,  an  alliance 
which  danger,  if  naught  else,  should  render  pos- 
sible ?  There  are  emergencies  when  defeat  is  not  to 
be  compensated  by  a  dozen  subsequent  victories — 
when  success  outweighs  a  score  of  reverses  on  less 
decisive  fields  Such  a  crisis  confronts  me  now. 
Think  you  to  treat  better  with  Vitellozzo  and  the 


260  VALENTINO. 

Orsini  than  with  me  ? — or  left  alone  and  defenceless 
how  will  you  confront  them,  or  how  divert  the  rav- 
enous army  of  Louis  from  projects  each  of  which 
involves  you  ?  " 

"  Your  army  without  you  is  less  to  be  depended 
on  than  you  without  your  army  ?  " 

"  In  treating  with  me,  you  have  the  warrant  and 
pledge  of  the  Church." 

"  It  was  the  Church  which  called  even  the  Turk 
into  Italy.  But  enough.  For  the  reason  that  on 
you  rests  the  last  hope  of  averting  several  calami- 
ties, I  do  not  wish  you  the  ill  you  think.  My 
recommendations  depend  upon  your  answers.  I 
can  influence  the  Signoria;  they  need  emphatic 
words  to  harmonize  their  councils.  First,  am  I 
right  in  understanding  that  the  armed  support  of 
you  by  the  French  is  a  myth  ?  " 

"A  myth  which  two  years  ago  did  me  infinite 
mischief,  and  which  now,  were  it  proffered,  I  dare 
not  accept,"  answered  Borgia,  resorting  to  the  only 
means  of  cajoling  his  mistrustful  guest. 

"  Of  this  you  shall  give  me  a  guarantee  more 
substantial  than  the  pledge  of  the  Vatican." 

"You  shall  have  hostages,  and  in  proportion 
as  you  relieve  my  peril,  will  I  serve  you  here- 
after." 

"  I  cannot  relieve  your  peril  further  than  to  re- 
strain the  arms  of  Florence  from  joining  with  those 
of  your  enemies." 


REVOLT.  261 

"Grant  me  thus  much  and  your  love — I  ask 
nothing  more." 

"  On  my  side,"  continued  Machiavelli,  "  I  give 
my  promise,  which  has  never  failed.  Our  agree- 
ment is  a  secret  personal  to  ourselves.  Upon  your 
assurance  that  the  French  shall  not  enter  Eomagna, 
and  that  there  shall  be  no  alliance  betwixt  you  and 
them,  I  engage  that  not  a  ducat  or  a  man  at  arms 
shall  go  from  Florence  to  the  Orsini." 

These  were  conditions  impossible  for  Cesare  to 
execute  ;  it  was  now,  however,  only  a  question  of 
concurring  for  the  sake  of  gaining  time.  So  it  was 
with  an  accent  of  spontaneous  sincerity  that  he 
answered — 

"  It  is  agreed." 

"  And  now,"  pursued  Machiavelli,  "  the  hos- 
tage." 

"  Oh,"  answered  Valentino,  carelessly,  "  you 
shall  have  any  officers  not  absolutely  needed." 

"I  would  not  deprive  you  of  a  single  sword. 
There  is  but  one  hostage  I  know  of  within  easy 
reach,  whose  danger  will  bind  you :  where  the 
treasure  is,  there  will  the  heart  be  also." 

"  Treasure  !  gold  !  "  exclaimed  Cesare,  surprised 
at  such  venality.  "  It  is  yours." 

"  Gold !  "  answered  Machiavelli,  with  disdain, 
"  offer  gold  to  your  Roman  nobles  and  prelates,  or 
to  the  starving  mongrels  that  swarm  across  the 
Alps.  No ;  I  have  a  fetter  you  shall  not  slip. 


262  VALENTINO. 

You  ask  my  love  ;  in  return  you  shall  pledge  me 
yours.  There  is  here  one  who,  for  your  sake,  has 
sacrificed  much ;  for  whose  favor,  this  summer, 
your  interests  have  been  neglected.  When  so 
much  that  is  precious  is  given,  men  must  be  right 
that  it  is  love.  Her  you  shall  pledge  as  your 
surety." 

Valentino  saw  the  trap  after  it  had  closed.  To 
refuse,  even  to  demur,  would  expose  his  bad  faith. 
He  was  conscious  of  having  been  outwitted.  De- 
prived of  the  strong  arm  of  France,  his  mistress' 
life  was  to  rivet  the  bonds.  To  recede  was  to  add 
the  forces  of  Tuscany  to  the  camp  of  the  revolted 
Barons. 

"  She  will  not  consent,"  he  objected,  after  a 
moment's  thought. 

"That,"  replied  Machiavelli,  "depends  upon 
you." 

"  You  purpose  to  take  her  to  Florence  ?  " 

"  Not  take  her  thither  myself,  for  I  remain  here  ; 
but  I  shall  immediately  place  her  in  the  care  of 
those  who  will  answer  for  her  safety." 

"Then  await  my  return,  while  I  propose  this 
strange  demand." 

Valentino  left  the  room,  and  the  Florentine 
seated  himself  and  waited.  He  was  never  impa- 
tient, least  of  all  when  circumstances  had  turned 
to  his  advantage.  That  Elvira  would  consent,  he 


REVOLT.  263 

never  doubted ;  lie  knew  that  women  love  a  man  in 
proportion  to  his  exactions  ;  her  sacrifice,  by  the 
violation  of  their  agreement,  did  not  accord  with 
his  knowledge  of  Cesare's  infatuation.  As  the 
instants  passed,  he  imagined  what  was  being  said 
—the  tearful  hesitation,  the  soft  entreaty,  the 
pledge  of  prompt  release,  the  vows  of  unwavering 

fidelity 

The  door  opened,  and  Cesare  reappeared  lead- 
ing Elvira  by  the  hand.  Machiavelli  advanced  to 
greet  the  Estense,  his  eyes  fixed  in  admiration  of 
her  loveliness,  ere,  yielding  to  embarrassment,  she 
dropped  her  veil  without  speaking.  He  extended 
his  hand  to  her,  while  Cesare,  following  to  the 
stair,  gazed  earnestly  after  them,  till  they  passed 
the  doorway  and  were  gone.  Then  he  turned  and 
crossed  the  deserted  chamber  whence  Elvira  had 
issued.  He  seated  himself  absently  in  reverie — a 
reverie  abruptly  ended  as  a  messenger  entered 
bearing  a  dispatch  from  Don  Michele.  It  con- 
tained but  five  words,  and  Borgia  read  them  in 
silence  that  betrayed  not  the  stroke  he  suffered : 

Urbino  capta  est.     Exercitu  confoditur. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BY   THE   TIBER. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1502,  his  Holiness  Pope  Alexander  Sixth  was 
the  busiest  man  in  Home.  His  habits  of  unflagging 
industry  had  grown  to  a  thirst  for  occupation  :  no 
point  of  the  horizon  that  shaped  itself  about  his 
family  was  beyond  his  scrutiny ;  no  thread  in  the 
ever  weaving  and  ravelling  woof  of  Italian  diplo- 
macy escaped  his  attention. 

The  papers  which  usually  covered  his  writing- 
table  had,  for  the  moment,  been  pushed  together 
to  make  room  for  a  sack  of  German  gold — two 
thousand  and  odd  pieces,  the  equivalent  of  many 
years'  indulgence  for  miscellaneous  sins  past  or  to 
come,  an  absolution  or  a  license,  as  the  purchaser 
preferred. 

"How  fruitful  a  spiritual  soil  is  this  of  Ger- 
many," chuckled  the  good-natured  Pontiff ;  "  mag- 
nificent missals  and  silver  chalices,  flaxen  haired 
girls  for  our — nunneries,  and  gold  in  lien  of  the 
unprofitable  penances  of  former  days."  Then  re- 
turning the  coins  by  handfuls  into  their  leather 


BY  THE  TIBER.  265 

pouch,  he  removed  it,  murmuring,  "  For  Giulia 
when  she  comes,"  and  resumed  the  perusal  of  a 
sequence  of  dispatches. 

Giulia  Farnese  at  this  moment  stood  at  the  sum- 
mit of  the  lofty  flight  of  steps  by  which  the  descent 
is  made  from  Ara  Coeli.  She  had  come  out  from 
that  venerable  church  filled  with  the  devout  im- 
pressions of  the  mass  just  recited ;  the  chant  still 
rang  in  her  ears  as  she  passed  between  the  long 
line  of  uneven  pillars  that  we  see  to-day,  and  across 
sculptured  tombs  set  in  the  pavement,  which  the 
tread  of  millions  has  worn  to  smooth  indistinctness. 
Now,  the  Roman  sunshine  flooded  all  about  her 
with  radiance,  mellowing  the  verdure  and  foliage 
that  lay  over  the  buried  Forum,  and  softening  the 
outline  of  the  Alban  hills.  Her  fellow  worshippers 
thronged  from  the  church,  while  she  paused  to 
gaze  around. 

To  the  left  lay  the  Arch  of  Titus,  and  behind  it 
the  Coliseum,  in  front  stretched  the  verdant  slopes 
of  Palatinus,  and  to  the  right  at  her  feet  was  a 
wooden  cross,  ornamented  with  the  paraphernalia 
of  the  crucifixion,  before  which  the  contadini  rev- 
erently paused.  A  short  cut,  of  which  the  bearers 
of  her  litter  availed  themselves,  took  Giulia  through 
one  of  the  artisans'  quarters — a  hive  of  industry 
in  times  of  quiet— a  centre  of  turbulence  in  riotous 
days.  Between  the  fluttering  curtains  she  could 
see  the  armorer  hammering  at  his  blades ;  the 
12 


266  VALENTINO. 

potter  turning  a  half-finished  earthen  vessel  on  his 
lathe,  while  with  deft  fingers  he  gave  it  form ;  the 
girl  seated  at  the  loom,  and  casting  the  shuttle 
from  hand  to  hand ;  the  women  at  the  upper  win- 
dows chatting  across  the  narrow  street. 

As  the  litter  was  halted  in  the  court-yard  of 
the  Vatican,  she  roused  herself  from  a  deep  pre- 
occupation ;  some  of  the  officers  of  her  household 
hastened  obsequiously  forward,  the  most  demon- 
strative of  whom  was  the  jester  Pulcio  :  but  Giulia 
was  in  no  bantering  mood,  so  bidding  the  hunch- 
back be  in  waiting  presently  at  her  breakfast  table, 
whither  he  frequently  brought  such  morsels  of 
gossip  and  scandal  as  the  breeze  blew  in  his  way, 
she  hastened  to  the  private  apartment  of  Alex- 
ander. 

His  Holiness  rose  from  his  employment  as  she 
entered,  took  both  her  hands  and  kissed  them. 

"  Before  you  recount  the  success  of  your  mission," 
he  began,  "  here  is  a  buona  mano  ;  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire,  and  whoever  brings  fish  to  land 
with  such  dainty  casts,  should  be  laden  with  gold." 

"  Overladen !  "  answered  Giulia  laughing,  and 
letting  the  weighty  bag  drop  back  upon  the  table. 
"  Is  it  with  such  grievous  burdens  you  afflict  the 
bearer  of  good  news  ?  " 

"  You,  Giulia,"  replied  the  Pontiff,  "  are  one  of 
the  few  that  can  always  say — I  have  succeeded. 
And  now  sit  you  before  me  :  your  letter  of  last 


BY  THE  TIBER.  267 

evening  gave  me  the  result ;  tell  me  now  the  out- 
line ;  the  details  can  wait." 

"  Ginevra  and  I  brought  our  long  parley  to  an 
end  last  night,"  began  the  Farnese.  "  Savelli,  after 
this  week's  hesitation,  consents  to  the  conference 
fixed  for  to-day.  As  you  anticipated,  he  required 
a  hostage,  and  our  cousin  the  cardinal  is  at  this 
hour  in  the  hands  of  the  Colonna ;  the  count  ar- 
rived last  evening ;  I  talked  with  him,  but  met  only 
reticences,  and  as  it  grew  late  and  Ginevra  begged 
me,  I  rested  with  her  the  night,  and  delayed  but  an 
instant  at  Ara  Goeli  this  morning.  Ginevra  dread- 
ed a  night  alone  with  her  hot-headed  lord,"  added 
Giulia  maliciously. 

"All  this  your  letter  told  me,"  answered  the  Pope 
with  an  expression  of  disappointment ;  "  but  were 
the  reticences  you  speak  of  so  inflexible  that  not 
one  of  the  temptations,  not  one  of  the  stings  I  sug- 
gested could  move  him  ?  " 

"  As  well  sting  a  bale  of  hay,  or  tempt  an  ox  with 
a  penny.  He  was  courteous,  listened  attentively, 
and  replied  nothing.  Further  than  the  generalities 
you  indicated  I  dared  not  venture ;  only  at  supper 
I  raised  my  goblet  and  whispered,  Health  to  the  new 
governor  of  Rome,  and  what  think  you  he  answered 
— that  the  governors  of  Rome  were  usually  too 
short  lived  to  make  health  an  object !  " 

"  That  was  neither  reticent  nor  courteous,"  ex- 
claimed the  Pope  ;  "you  said  he  was  both." 


268  VALENTINO. 

"  That  repartee  is  the  sole  fruit  of  all  your  stings 
and  temptations." 

"  Seemed  he  robust  and  well  ?  " 

"  Sturdy  as  an  oak." 

"  Good.  No  man  of  vigorous  life  disdains  wealth 
and  power.  You  have  done  excellent  service  in 
showing  where  and  how  he  must  be  met — and 
trust  me  I  have  a  bait  shall  take  him  ;"  and  Alex- 
ander rubbed  his  hands. 

"  This  will  be  pleasant  for  Cardinal  Borgia,"  re- 
plied Giulia ;  "  he  stipulated  for  one  week's  confine- 
ment at  most,  and  should  your  aim  be  reached,  he 
must  spend  his  remaining  days  in  a  fortress." 

"What,  a  hostage  for  my  own  governor-general ! " 

"  The  words  are  Ginevra's ;  she  said,  '  My  hus- 
band will  neither  visit  Rome  nor  live  in  it  without 
better  guaranty  than  any  safe-conduct.  The  re- 
moval of  the  Orsini  must  needs  be  sanguinary, 
and  will  not  encourage  him  to  become  their  suc- 
cessor.' " 

"  And  why,"  inquired  the  Pontiff,  passing  to  an- 
other thought,  "why  has  not  Ginevra  been  with 
her  husband  in  his  exile?" 

"They  have  not  fared  well  together  these  last 
years ;  besides,  she  thought  herself  in  greater 
safety  here." 

"If  there  is  nothing  more  between  them  than 
a  pettish  jealousy,  we  must  begin  by  reconciling 
Savelli  with  his  wife." 


BY  THE  TIBER.  269 

"The  laws  of  human  nature  do  not  apply  to 
madmen ;  on  the  subject  of  his  wife  the  count  is 
insane." 

"  And  Ginevra  ?     It  is  months  since  I  saw  her." 

"  Not  quite  so  blithe  of  spirit ;  her  nature,  she 
says,  rather  than  circumstances,  conspires  against 
her." 

Giulia  rose,  took  up  her  bundle  of  Peter's  golden 
pence,  and  said,  "I  must  bestow  your  gift  in  safety; 
moreover,  I  still  fast.  Summon  me  if  my  persua- 
sions are  needed  with  that  difficult  man." 

The  Pope  did  not  long  remain  plunged  in  the 
meditations  in  which  his  fair  visitor  had  left  him. 
A  clerical  functionary  presently  announced  Cardinal 
Corneto  in  waiting  for  the  audience  to  which  he 
had  been  summoned,  and  a  moment  later  his  Emi- 
nence was  ushered  in.  He  had  nowise  changed 
within  the  year  since  we  met  him  at  the  Belvedere 
Villa ;  he  retained  in  age  that  vigor  which  comes 
from  abstemious  habits,  and  his  most  marked 
characteristics — love  of  wealth  and  fear  of  danger — 
survived  in  undiminished  force.  His  restless  eye 
wandered  incessantly  as  if  searching  for  some  indi- 
cation of  lurking  peril.  The  loss  of  the  perquisites 
of  his  former  office  of  secretary  was  made  up  for 
by  extortions  wherever  a  thousand  crowns  could 
be  wrung  from  timid  avarice,  or  cajoled  from  aspir- 
ing intrigue.  He  entered,  dignified  yet  subservient, 
with  the  bland  urbanity  of  the  Italian  priest,  and 


270  VALENTINO. 

having  with  flattering  speech  kissed  the  hand  of  his 
Holiness,  seated  himself  as  bidden. 

"Ever  since  the  loss  of  your  services,"  began 
Alexander  in  the  contemplative  tone  of  one  who 
looks  along  a  vista  of  years,  "  my  affairs  have  suf- 
fered. And  not  merely  mine,  but  the  fortunes  of 
Valentino  want  the  prospered  impetus  or  modera- 
tion of  those  far-sighted  communings.  But  though 
the  needs  of  your  private  concerns  and  the  care  of 
benevolent  works  deprive  me  of  your  daily  pres- 
ence, you  have  continued  to  favor  me  with  a  keen 
judgment  where  the  range  of  my  own  vision  failed. 
It  is  for  such  a  service  I  have  summoned  you  ;  it  is 
such  a  forecast  that  I  need.  May  I  depend  upon 
you?" 

"Implicitly,"  promised  the  cardinal  in  a  tone  of 
relief. 

"  It  is  no  light  matter." 

"Your  Holiness  began  by  saying  that  I  have 
never  been  wanting." 

"  No ;  but  here  secrecy  is  no  less  than  wisdom. 
I  am  about  to  place  my  own  and  Cesare's  fortunes 
in  your  hands." 

So  saying,  Alexander  rose  from  his  chair  and 
paced  up  and  down  the  room.  Presently  he 
stopped  midway,  and,  pointing  to  one  of  the  walls, 
said : 

"  You  know  that  yonder  is  a  sliding  panel  and  an 
iron  box  ?  " 


BY  THE  TIBER.  271 

Corneto  remembered  both  well.  He  was  not 
likely  to  forget  certain  surreptitious  visits  to  the 
state  papers,  nor  that  his  inspections  had  been  in- 
terrupted by  the  discovery  a  year  before,  that  in 
the  Pope's  absence  a  brace  of  condottieri  were 
stationed  hard  by.  A  tiny  peep-hole  in  the  outer 
wainscoting  had  saved  his  life  by  this  timely  ob- 
servation, and  since  then,  with  the  exception  of  the 
theft  of  the  supposititious  report  of  Cesare  to  his 
father,  which,  as  we  know,  he  had  sold  to  Cardinal 
Orsini,  he  had  abhorred  the  secret  panel,  and 
shunned  the  Pope's  study,  save  when  bidden  to  it, 
albeit  he  knew  that  the  watchers  had  long  since 
been  withdrawn.  If  his  alarm  had  been  awakened 
by  the  summons  to  a  strangely  early  conference, 
his  misgivings  redoubled  at  this  query  as  he  re- 
plied, 

"  Years  ago  your  Holiness  took  papers  from  some 
secret  locker  thereabouts  to  show  me." 

"  Even  so.  And  now  I  have  put  there  a  packet 
of  letters  from  Venice.  Here  is  a  resume  of  extracts 
from  some  of  them,  without  the  names  of  the 
writers ;  they  all  relate  to  an  alliance  with  St. 
Mark.  Take  this  paper  ;  ponder  well  the  reasons 
put  forward,  and  two  days  hence  give  me  a  sage 
counsel." 

Alexander  was  accustomed  to  allow  largely  for 
the  accidents  that  unhinge  the  best-conceived  de- 
signs. Aware  that  his  son  was  about  to  attempt  a 


272  VALENTINO. 

stroke  against  the  Orsini,  he  had  resolved,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  temptation  of  the  imaginary  letters,  to 
give  Corneto  the  opportunity  to  warn  the  in,  hav- 
ing ordered  that  every  messenger  leaving  for  Eo- 
magna  that  day  or  the  next  should  be  intercepted, 
so  that  were  the  cardinal  in  sympathy  with  the 
barons  he  would  betray  himself. 

To  the  Pontiff's  exposition  of  his  son's  purposes, 
the  cardinal  listened  with  a  composure  that  came 
of  long  familiarity  with  sudden  emergencies,  and 
also  with  the  resolve,  if  time  yet  remained,  to  warn 
the  brothers  of  their  peril.  Alexander  vaguely 
mentioned  the  following  week  for  the  casting  of 
the  net — to  save  their  lives  would  bring  the  reward 
of  a  coffer  of  ducats,  and  perhaps  preferment  when 
the  Borgias  should  be  gone  and  a  new  Pope  reigned ; 
for  like  most  old  men,  the  cardinal  built  loftily  for 
the  future.  As  to  the  advice  Alexander  sought,  he 
confined  himself  to  an  approval  of  Cesare's  inten- 
tions, curtly  declaring  that  no  truce  could  hold 
with  traitors.  The  Pope  observed  a  slightly  ab- 
sent manner,  and  an  occasional  brevity  of  speech. 
He  drew  his  inference,  and  gave  him  conge  without 
further  delay. 

Once  beyond  the  sacred  presence,  Corneto  has- 
tened along  the  vast  corridor,  between  groups  of 
pages  and  domestics,  with  here  and  there  a  senti- 
nel in  casque  and  ruffled  frill  and  gayly-colored 
doublet  and  hose,  leaning  upon  his  halberd 


BY  THE  TIBER.  273 

Already  as  he  passed,  unheeding  the  salutes  ad- 
dressed him,  he  was  busy  with  his  plan  of  rescue. 
That  young  Trasteverino  should  ride  the  swift  gray 
stallion,  starting  from  the  Appian  Gate,  making  a 
wide  circuit  of  the  walls,  crossing  the  Tiber  miles 
above  the  city,  and  bearing  to  Pagolo  the  one  word, 

Seicare .' 

There  must  be  no  papers,  and,  if  taken,  the  youth 
should  assume  the  character  of  a  fugitive  from  his 
master  guilty  of  no  worse  than  peculation. 

Filled  with  these  preoccupations,  he  was  half- 
way down  the  great  stair  of  the  Vatican  when  a 
group  beginning  the  ascent  struck  him  with  amaze 
and  instantly  dispelled  his  benevolent  intentions. 

Foremost — his  safe-conduct  in  his  hand — came 
Cardinal  Orsini,  uncle  of  Pagolo  and  Gravina, 
attended  by  the  secretaries  of  his  Holiness,  and 
followed  by  a  guard  of  honor. 

It  flashed  upon  Corneto  that  his  colleague,  while 
imagining  himself  advancing  to  an  audience  of  the 
Pontiff,  was  already  a  prisoner — that  Alexander 
had  captured  the  one  while  his  son  was  entrapping 
the  others.  The  chance  which  had  prolonged  his 
own  colloquy,  and  had  brought  the  Orsini  a  trifle 
earlier  than  his  appointed  hour,  had  put  them 
thus  face  to  face.  He  understood  that  it  must  be 
already  too  late  to  frustrate  Cesare's  plans;  he 
realized,  too,  that  neither  word  nor  gesture  of 
warning  could  pass  from  him  without  detection  by 


•J74 

the  eager  eyes  of  those  who  followed  the  doomed 
man. 

He  therefore  resumed  his  way  composedly ;  and 
with  grave  and  courteous  salutation  the  two  cai- 
dinals  exchanged  greetings,  the  one  passing  out 
to  the  desolate  space  before  the  Vatican,  which 
has  become  the  architectural  Piazza  of  St.  Peter's, 
the  other  pursuing  his  way  with  the  first  qualms 
of  misgiving  at  the  armed  retinue  which,  im- 
mediately upon  his  entrance,  had  closed  behind 
him. 

That  there  was  abundant  reason  for  his  doubts, 
Orsini  discovered  a  few  steps  further. 

Instead  of  continuing  in  the  direction  of  Alex- 
ander's apartments,  he  was  suddenly  confronted  by 
Monsignor  Eoccamura,  who,  discarding  all  accus- 
tomed reverences,  motioned  him  towards  another 
corridor.  The  cardinal,  stunned  by  that  abrupt 
summons,  and  remembering  Magione,  trembled. 
His  eyes  fell  upon  the  unfolded  safe-conduct,  then 
he  glanced  at  the  officers  and  soldiers — and  knew 
his  fate. 

"  As  you  hope  for  grace,"  he  sobbed,  "  let  me 
throw  myself  at  the  feet  of  his  Holiness." 

His  only  answer  was  an  imperative  gesture. 

He  looked  despairingly  around,  and  there,  at  the 
end  of  the  hall,  he  perceived  Giulia  Farnese. 

He  gave  one  loud  cry — the  entreaty  of  despair  to 
the  mercy  of  woman — then  he  was  dragged  by  the 


BY  THE  TIBER  275 

way  his  feet  refused  to  bear  him,  through  a  suc- 
cession of  galleries,  till  his  captors  brought  him  to 
an  iron  door  which  opens  upon  the  famous  passage 
connecting  the  Vatican  Palace  with  its  citadel — 
the  Castle  of  Si  Angelo  ;  and  along  that  passage 
he  was  led,  struggling,  bewildered,  terror-stricken, 
almost  fainting,  till  presently  he  came  to  himself, 
alone  in  a  prison  cell  of  small  dimensions,  with  no 
light  save  the  glimmer  of  a  narrow  aperture  be- 
neath the  ceiling,  and  devoid  of  other  furniture 
than  a  wooden  bench. 

The  guards  on  the  terrace  heard  his  cries  all 
that  afternoon  and  through  the  following  day,  but 
heeded  not. 

The  sun  rose  and  sank,  and  all  was  quiet ;  the 
weakness  of  starvation  had  silenced  the  prisoner. 
And  when,  two  days  later,  he  was  laid  in  state  in 
his  own  palace,  those  who  came  to  gaze  once  more 
upon  the  familiar  face,  suddenly  sunken  in  death, 
wondered  at  the  calm  serenity  of  the  features,  and 
murmured  one  to  another — 

"  Be  deeps,  but  his  soul  is  icith  God!  " 

The  early  hours  of  the  day  we  have  described 
having  been  thus  employed,  the  Pontiff  betook 
himself  to  the  gardens  of  the  Vatican  for  refresh- 
ment in  the  crisp  winter  air.  He  was  preceded 
by  a  couple  of  pages,  and  followed  by  a  few  eccle- 
siastics and  lacqueys,  this  promenade  being  only 


276  VALENTINO. 

for  recreation  and  without  the  restraints  of  cere- 
monial. 

The  pleasure  grounds  in  rear  of  St.  Peter's 
had  not  their  present  extent  or  magnificence.  A 
painting  of  them  of  1505  shows  long,  straight 
walks,  an  occasional  arbor,  a  fountain,  here  and 
there  a  statue — all  stiff  and  formal,  according  to 
the  landscape  gardening  from  which  were  derived 
the  terraces  and  trim  parterres  of  Blois  and  Fon- 
tainebellant.  In  front  lay  the  vast  substructures 
of  St.  Peter's  ;  behind  stretched  the  desolate  Jani- 
culum,  and  from  an  occasional  eminence  one  looked 
over  Trastevere  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  yellow 
Tiber  and  the  far  Campania.  Alexander  walked 
briskly,  now  calling  one  of  the  priests  to  his 
side  for  some  brief  inquiry,  now  moving  forward 
alone,  pensive  and  abstracted,  anon  stopping  at 
some  favorite  nook  to  listen  to  the  persuasive 
music  of  a  fountain,  or  to  scan  the  flowerless  beds, 
or  to  watch  a  lizard  that  darted  timidly  across 
the  wall  and  lingered  to  observe  him  with  won- 
dering eye. 

After  an  hour  he  returned  to  the  Vatican  and 
betook  himself  to  a  dining-room,  where  exactly  at 
the  hour  of  noon  his  simple  repast  of  broth,  beef, 
and  red  wine  was  served.  Shortly  after  his  return 
to  the  study  where  he  had  passed  the  morning, 
his  secretary  announced  the  attendance  of  Count 
Savelli. 


BY  THE  TIBER.  277 

It  had  been  a  year  of  strife  and  vicissitude  for 
the  Colonna,  driven  from  Home  by  their  powerful 
rivals  the  Orsini,  and  reduced  to  distant  strong- 
holds, where  resistance  might  be  indefinitely  pro- 
tracted, and  whence  they  could  return  for  occa- 
sional rencounters  in  the  field.  The  count  had 
found  a  healthful  distraction  in  the  command  of  a 
section  of  the  Colonna  army. 

He  had  not  met  Ginevra  until  Giulia  brought 
them  together  as  an  incident  of  Alexander's  change 
of  alliance  from  one  family  to  the  other. 

Count  Savelli  was  ushered  into  the  papal  presence 
with  salute  of  honor,  and  with  every  dignity.  In 
the  antechamber  he  was  desired  to  leave  his  rapier 
and  stiletto,  as  was  the  etiquette  for  all  not  in  the 
militant  service  of  the  Holy  See. 

Alexander  received  him  without  rising,  and  ex- 
tended his  hand,  which  the  count  raised  to  his 
lips  as  he  bent  on  one  knee. 

"It  is  to  those  we  love  and  from  whom  we  have 
been  longest  parted  that  the  warmest  welcome  is 
offered,"  said  the  Pontiff,  with  gentle  benignity, 
and  motioning  his  visitor  to  a  seat ;  "  even  an  old 
man's  heart  warms  at  the  story  of  your  exploits  in 
the  Abruzzi ;  so  valiant  a  son  of  the  Church  is  per- 
haps the  dearer  for  the  very  reason  of  absence." 

"  The  absence  is  not  altogether  my  fault,"  ob- 
served Savelli. 

"  Nor  mine,"  quietly  rejoined  the  Pope.     "  It  is 


278  VALENTINO. 

attributable  to  one  who  regrets  it:  The  amends 
I  seek  to  make  should  satisfy.  Justice  is  rarely 
swift  of  foot" 

"  It  rarely  conies  at  all,"  assented  the  count. 

"My  offers  have  been  communicated  to  you," 
pursued  Alexander,  seeking  to  lead  his  visitor  to 
less  sombre  thoughts  than  those  his  memories 
evoked. 

"  Holy  Father,  you  bid  us  to  a  service  to  which 
the  Orsini  were  similarly  called.  They  are  now  to 
be  disgraced.  "Will  their  reward  be  ours  ?  " 

"The  faithless  get  the  wages  they  earn,"  an- 
swered the  Pope,  stung  by  the  question.  "  Your 
recompense  shall  be  that  which  is  withheld  from 
those  who  turn  against  us  the  swords  we  buy  !  " 

"  Tour  Holiness  is  at  variance  with  the  Orsini — 
the  chosen  guardians  of  the  Church  ?  " 

"  They  have  outraged  every  duty." 

"And  the  Colonna  are  to  hold  them  fast  while  the 
Duke  Valentino  strips  off  their  goods,  their  castles, 
their  all." 

"  They  have  proved  unworthy  of  the  office  that 
shall  be  yours." 

The  count  paused  in  silent  meditation.  In  all 
the  farce,  as  he  conceived  it,  of  a  pretended  rupt- 
ure between  the  Church  and  the  Orsini,  and  in 
this  proposal  of  alliance  with  his  masters,  on  whose 
behalf  he  had  been  sent  to  this  interview,  Savelli 
saw  but  a  snare  of  stupendous  malignity,  wherein 


BY  THE  TIBER.  279 

the  Colonna,  their  soldiers  and  riches,  were  to  be 
taken  at  a  single  cast  of  the  net. 

"  Know  you  not,"  cried  the  Pope,  "  that  they 
have  conspired  with  the  enemies  of  the  Duke  of 
Romagna,  and  are  in  open  revolt  ?  " 

"I  do  not,"  replied  the  count,  in  these  blunt 
words  expressing  all  his  mistrust. 

Alexander  was  silenced  by  the  magnitude  of  the 
suspicion  disclosed  ;  an  expression  of  malice  and 
cunning  gathered  upon  his  face  ;  he  leaned  forward 
and  whispered : 

"  You  doubt  my  quarrel  with  the  Orsini !  I  will 
convince  you.  Within  five  days  you  shall  see  the 
dead  face  of  Cardinal  Orsini ;  in  twelve  days  more 
you  shall  know  the  fate  of  his  nephews." 

Savelli  received  this  ominous  confidence  without 
emotion,  and  apparently  without  a  diminution  of 
doubt. 

"  If  the  campaign  in  Romagna  is  earnest,"  he 
answered,  "  we  shall  see  the  duke  driven  from  his 
possessions  before  Christmas  greens  are  gathered." 

"A  little  time  will  show,"  replied  the  Pontiff; 
"but,"  he  pursued,  "if  my  words  prove  prophetic, 
a  great  factor  will  drop  from  the  statecraft  of  Rome, 
and  in  presence  of  new  elements,  whose  power  none 
can  foresee,  the  Church  will  need  your  support." 

"  It  is  the  Church  that  stripped  the  Colonna  of 
all  their  possessions  and  drove  them  outcast  to 
the  mountains." 


280  VALENTINO. 

"  All  shall  be  twice  repaid,  and  in  power,  I  will 
place  the  Colonna  among  the  stars." 

"  Many  have  been  placed  among  the  stars  who 
would  fain  have  remained  upon  earth." 

"  The  chief  who  dares  not  seize  his  fortune 
should  ungird  his  useless  sword,"  retorted  the 
Pope. 

"  The  swords  are  strong,  and  the  hearts  are  bold ; 
but  after  years  of  persecution  we  hesitate  to  en- 
gage either." 

"  Fear  not.  But  when  you  behold  the  deeds  pres- 
ently to  be  done,  know  that  we  have  need  of  you, 
and  hasten  to  us.  Tell  the  Colonna  that  were  we 
reconciled  and  the  Orsini  scourged  for  their  crimes, 
none  would  remain  to  disturb  us.  The  present 
should  be  carved  in  golden  portions,  and  the  future 
be  stormless — go,  tell  them  that." 

The  Venetian  envoy  Zorzi,  passing  through 
Trastevere,  looked  with  wonder  as  Colonna's 
henchman  issued  from  the  Vatican.  He  returned 
the  count's  salutation,  then  hastening  through  the 
lanes  which  spread  a  labyrinth  along  the  edge  of 
the  river,  he  murmured  to  himself — 
"  Corneto  must  be  informed  of  this." 
But  even  as  he  bent  his  steps  towards  the 
cardinal's  palace  near  by,  he  changed  his  mind ; 
better,  he  thought,  to  alarm  the  heads  of  the 
Orsini  faction  of  the  danger  which  menaced,  than 


BY  THE  TIBER.  281 

to  lose  an  hour  with  Corneto.  He  altered  his 
course,  and  presently  approached  the  fortified  pal- 
ace of  that  family.  But  the  accustomed  livery  was 
not  at  the  gate ;  the  soldiers  of  the  Church  were 
already  in  occupation,  and  in  answer  to  his  attend- 
ant's inquiry,  the  ambassador  was  courteously  in- 
formed that  Cardinal  Orsini  was  from  home. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A   MASTEKPIECE. 

FOB  Cesare  Borgia,  who  valued  life  in  proportion 
to  its  intensity,  the  month  of  December,  1502,  held 
the  most  stirring  hours  of  his  career. 

The  necessity  (heretofore  incomprehensible  to 
the  historians  of  his  time)  in  which  he  so  suddenly 
and  strangely  found  himself,  of  countermanding 
the  approach  of  Langres'  corps  for  the  sake  of  the 
hostage  held  by  the  Florentine  envoy,  placed  him 
in  an  extreme  predicament ;  but  he  discovered  an 
expedient  even  in  the  meshes  which  gathered  about 
his  helplessness. 

His  assurance  to  Machiavelli  that  negotiations 
with  the  barons  had  been  commenced  was  true, 
although  his  own  hope  of  a  satisfactory  outcome 
was  not  in  agreement  with  the  conclusion  he  pre- 
dicted. The  result  of  his  advances  was  a  complete 
surprise  ;  shortly  after  the  capture  of  Urbino,  the 
Orsini  assented  to  a  truce,  and  Pagolo  showed 
himself  disposed  to  reconciliation. 

The  situation  of  the  confederates  was,  to  say  the 
least,  equivocal.  The  timid  Baglioni  and  Petrucci 


A  MASTERPIECE.  283 

had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  most  importunate 
summons.  The  force  in  the  field  was  but  half 
the  number  counted  on ;  the  Florentine  Republic 
spurned  with  disdain  the  proffered  alliance  of  a 
band  of  revolted  condottieri. 

King  Louis  threatened  them  as  he  threatened 
all.  That  for  two  weeks  Valentino  stood  upon  the 
brink  of  ruin,  and  that  on  any  day  during  that  in- 
terval the  Orsini  could  have  marched  to  Imola, 
and  with  a  single  onset  have  scattered  the  motley 
companies  there  assembled,  is  no  less  certain  than 
that  they  were  deterred  from  doing  so  by  that  dread 
of  some  indefinite  consequence,  whose  shadow  so 
often  stays  the  strong  arm  and  gives  breathing- 
time  to  those  at  bay. 

So  the  opportunity  slipped  between  their  hesi- 
tations, while  to  their  enemy's  camp  swarmed  men 
at  arms  of  every  description — free  lances  in  quest 
of  booty,  roving  troops  of  German  horsemen,  squads 
of  pikemen  attracted  by  the  promise  of  unusual 
pay — until  the  numerical  disproportion  between 
the  camps  of  Imola  and  Urbino  ceased. 

Under  these  altered  conditions  the  barons  sig- 
nified their  willingness  to  parley.  Cesare's  first 
meeting  was  with  Pagolo  Orsini,  for  whose  safety 
Cardinal  Borgia  was  given  in  pledge  ;  the  con- 
dottiere  returned  two  days  later  with  gifts  and 
fervent  assurances. 

"  It  is  I  who  am  most  to  blame,"  Cesare  had  said. 


284  VALENTINO. 

"  I  have  fallen  into  grievous  error.  Without  you  I 
am  stripped  of  armor.  Yet  I  meant  no  greater  ill 
than  that  I  dared  not  follow  in  all  your  reckless 
adventures ;  but  I  should  have  spoken  frankly  and 
not  nursed  anger.  Your  inexpert  manoeuvres  caused 
such  complications — such  startling  rumors  were  on 
every  tongue,  that  I  stood  on  my  guard  where  you 
had  left  me,  while  you  with  your  bands  melted 
away  in  the  mists  of  the  Apennines. 

"  We  have  been  mistaken  in  our  judgments  of  each 
other.  If  you  have  grudged  me  my  successes,  I 
never  have  withheld  a  golden  share  in  them  ;  if  in 
these  last  months  I  have  harbored  ungenerous 
thoughts,  forgive  me,  and  let  our  arms  be  used 
once  more  for  mutual  advantage.  That  which  is 
accomplished  to  your  gain  shall  remain.  Olive- 
rotto  shall  keep  Fermo ;  Vitellozzo  shall  have 
Pesaro  in  lieu  of  Arezzo,  and  Urbino  itself  is 
yours  if  only  all  griefs  between  us  be  forgotten." 

Emboldened  by  this  hearing,  Oliverotto  next 
sought  Valentino,  and  the  shade  of  embarrassment 
which  lay  upon  the  condottiere  was  dispelled  by 
the  welcome  which  greeted  him. 

Not  since  the  first  taking  of  Urbino  had  they  met. 
The  identity  of  the  dead  Fieschi  had  led  to  investi- 
gation, and  Elvira's  eyes  having  fallen  upon  a  letter 
of  Oliverotto,  she  had  instantly  declared  it  the  hand 
of  her  Ferrarese  suitor,  Vallon  d'Avrees. 

This  discovery  fastened  a  chapter  of  offences  upon 


A  MASTERPIECE.  285 

Vitellozzo's  pupil.  The  tell-tale  cipher  despatch, 
"  Fermo  a  vous,  fidele  a  nous;"  the  shaft  of  the 
Vatican  garden  ;  the  rescue  of  Isidore  Savelli ;  the 
attack  at  the  falcon  hunt ;  the  mutinous  seizure  of 
Fermo;  complicity  in  the  revolt  of  Magione — all 
these  had  Oliverotto  to  answer  for,  but  all  these 
seemed  extinguished  in  the  amiable  mood  of  Borgia, 
who  talked  only  of  reconciliation,  and  of  rich  suc- 
cesses to  come. 

Oliverotto's  heart  was  relieved  as  well  as  glad- 
dened, and  in  the  contentment  of  no  longer  being 
at  odds  with  so  formidable  an  adversary,  he  would 
fain  have  bestirred  himself  forthwith  upon  some 
errand  of  arms.  It  was  with  a  smile  at  his  own  grim 
humor  that  he  thought  to  turn  the  tables  upon  his 
faithless  colleagues  of  Siena  and  Perugia,  in  sug- 
gesting them  as  wealthy,  defenceless,  and  within 
easy  reach. 

Without  dampening  his  lieutenant's  zeal,  the 
duke  musingly  objscted  that  it  were  prudence  to 
prepare  with  greater  deliberation  before  striking  at 
such  important  neighbors. 

Then,  urged  Oliverotto,  might  not  they  aim  at 
smaller  quarry — Sinigallia,  for  instance — if  but  to 
seal  the  restored  friendship?  To  this  no  drawback 
offered,  and  the  elated  condottiere  returned  to 
Urbino  with  greetings  to  Gravina  and  Yitellozzo, 
appointing  Sinigallia  the  try  sting -place  for  all. 

Of  the   four    chiefs,  Vitellozzo   openly  doubted 


286  VALENTINO. 

the  faith  of  Borgia,  and  was  only  persuaded  to  a 
course  he  mistrusted  by  the  arguments  and  assur- 
ances of  Pagolo,  for  whose  wisdom  he  had  a  regard 
akin  to  veneration.  Gravina  yielded  to  the  judg- 
ment of  his  brother,  though  with  half  a  heart. 

And  so,  at  mid-December,  the  barons  gathered 
their  veteran  soldiery  and  marched  upon  the  help- 
less town,  whose  princeling  put  to  sea  in  an  open 
boat  at  their  approach,  and  whose  crumbling  walls 
could  not  have  delayed  their  entrance  for  an  hour. 

Contrary  to  expectation,  Cesare  was  not  present 
at  the  entry  of  their  regiments,  which,  however, 
occasioned  small  comment,  for  they  had  daily  news 
from  him,  and  he  was  known  to  have  started  from 
Imola  with  thirty-five  hundred  men.  But  im- 
mediately after  the  occupation,  Pagolo  received 
from  Cesare  a  despatch  explaining  that  to  disband 
his  remnant  of  French  mercenaries  had  seemed 
a  means  of  allaying  possible  suspicions,  and  that 
he  devoted  two  days  to  its  execution.  All  doubts, 
save  Vitellozzo's,  subsided  at  this  evidence  of 
loyalty. 

It  was  the  dawn  of  a  winter's  morning  by  the 
Adriatic.  The  troops  lay  in  their  quarters  in  the 
town ;  the  sentries  gazed  listlessly  upon  a  distance 
which  harbored  no  enemy ;  here  and  there  an 
officer  drowsed  in  some  sllelter  or  watched  the 
silvering  orient ;  the  cocks  crew,  a  dog  barked  in 


A   MASTERPIECE.  287 

the  distance  and  another  answered ;  the  birds 
chirped  fitfully,  waiting  for  the  inspiration  of  the 
sun. 

And  Vitellozzo,  undisturbed  by  these  faint 
tokens  of  a  re-awakening  world,  slumbered  and 
dreamt. 

HQ  beheld  the  familiar  scenes  of  Citta  di  Cas- 
tello,  the  hill  sides,  the  broad  fields,  the  castle 
gate  of  his  home,  and  the  faces  of  his  wife  and  of 
Anselmo  and  Francesca,  sweet  and  tender  as  al- 
ways, yet  strangely  sad  as  his  eyes  encountered 
theirs. 

The  scene  changed,  and  he  beheld  a  banquet, 
deserted  by  all  but  himself  and  a  single  lingering 
guest  who  sat  beside  him  at  the  table,  indistinct  of 
face,  till  as  the  dreamer  gazed  intently  the  feat- 
ures became  clear  and  he  beheld  his  murdered 
brother,  Paolo  Vitelli.  He  saw  again,  as  though 
restored  to  life,  the  stalwart  frame  and  handsome 
countenance,  the  bronzed  complexion,  the  high, 
thoughtful  brow,  the  speaking  eye,  the  long  dark 
hair.  His  heart  throbbed,  but  a  resistless  power 
held  him  motionless. 

Then  the  spectre  smiled,  and  rising,  beckoned 
him  to  follow.  Vitellozzo  struggled  vainly.  He 
sought  to  seize  the  hand  that  motioned,  but  the 
figure  moved  away,  and  passing  beneath  a  curtain 
waved  a  salutation  of  final  summons — and  with  a 
gasp  the  sleeper  awoke. 


288  VALENTINO. 

When  the  sun  stood  in  the  sky,  and  the 
breath  of  scanty  flowers  and  the  odor  of  dead 
leaves  touched  the  winter  air  with  perfumes  faint 
as  the  remembered  pathos  of  the  autumn,  Pagolo 
and  Gravina  and  Vitellozzo  rode  together  on  white 
mules  caparisoned  with  bells  and  crimson  trap- 
pings, along  a  winding  wood-path,  with  here  and 
there  a  glimpse  through  the  olive  branches  upon 
the  far-off  glistening  sea. 

They  rode  in  silence.  Behind  followed  their 
escort  of  mounted  troopers.  No  breeze  stirred  the 
branches  whose  December  foliage  was  raised  above 
them  in  metallic  tints.  No  sound  was  upon  the 
air  save  the  thud  of  hoof  beats  upon  the  turf, 
and  once  from  a  monastery  the  sound  of  many 
droning  voices. 

"  On  such  a  winter's  morning  as  this,"  said  Vitel 
lozzo,  at  length    interrupting  their   long  silence, 
"went  I  two  years  ago  by  Cesare's  command  along 
this  Asiatic  shore,   with  guard  of  half  a  dozen 
men,  to  see  an  unknown  prisoner  die." 

"And  your  prisoner's  offending  was  unknown?" 
asked  Pagolo,  absently. 

"  Yes ;  we  were  bidden  to  lead  him  to  the  water- 
side at  a  given  place,  and  there  be  the  witnesses 
of  his  death  while  he  despatched  himself." 

"I  never  yet  heard  of  an  execution  without  a 
headsman,"  remarked  the  matter-of-fact  Gravina. 

"  The  manner  of  his  end  was  conceded  to  him  : 


A  MASTERPIECE.  289 

at  the  edge  of  the  water  we  unbound  his  hands  and 
feet ;  he  threw  his  cloak  aside,  and  took  something 
into  his  mouth  and  gazed  about  while  you  might 
count  a  hundred,  upon  the  sparkling  waves  before, 
and  the  blue  sky  above,  and  then  he  turned  and 
looked  back  at  the  uplands  as  though  his  fancy 
were  with  the  sunlit  brooks  amid  the  hills,  and 
then  he  dashed  into  the  water  and  swam  away,  till 
suddenly  he  raised  himself — then  sank,  and  we 
saw  him  no  more." 

"  "Tis  odd,"  remarked  Pagolo,  wearying  of  Vitel- 
lozzo's  sombre  thoughts,  "that  so  cheerless  a 
memory  comes  to  you  at  this  hour  when  we  are  on 
our  way  to  meet  the  triumphs  and  fortunes  that 
shall  be  ours  ere  another  harvest." 

"  I  think  of  him  to-day,"  pursued  Vitellozzo,  heed- 
less of  the  words,  "  for  I  remember  his  face  and 
the  look  that  was  on  it,  and  I  know  now  his  thought 
and  the  meaning  that  lay  in  his  eyes — that  it  is  sad 
to  look  one's  last  on  Earth  !  " 

"  Still  the  tremors  of  yesterday ! "  ejaculated 
Pagolo,  impatiently.  "Nay,  turn  back  —  rejoin 
Oliverotto  at  his  regiment,  or  seek  your  own  and 
wait  beneath  the  shelter  of  a  thousand  pikes  till 
to-night  we  bring  you  a  wine-cup  brimming  from 
the  feast."  Then  more  gently,  and  as  though  seek- 
ing by  his  sympathy  to  lighten  the  gloom  which 
had  settled  upon  his  companion,  he  added : 

"  I,  too,  have  my  sombre  hours  ;  often  have  I  lain 


290  VALENTINO. 

on  the  greensward  of  a  secluded  glade  with  some 
solemn  mountain  face  in  view,  and  the  voice  of 
nature  speaking  in  the  fall  of  a  cascade — and  above, 
the  rustling  tree-tops,  and  beyond  them  the  white 
clouds  sailing  across  the  blue — and  I  have  thought 
how,  when  the  sod  covers  me,  the  sunshine  will  be 
bright  and  warm  as  ever,  and  the  tidings  of  the 
breeze  as  gladsome,  and  the  birds  continue  to  fill 
the  summer  air  with  song." 

"  Ay,  so  shall  it  be !  "  interrupted  Vitellozzo, 
discovering  in  his  companion's  words  a  reflex  of 
his  own  dream.  "And  when  that  which  is  to  hap- 
pen is  upon  us,  remember  that  my  last  words  were 
spoken  in  our  old  love." 

"  What  is  it  that  is  upon  us  and  that  is  about  to 
happen !  "  cried  Pagolo,  crossing  himself  and  eye- 
ing his  comrade  uneasily. 

Before  Vitellozzo  could  answer,  a  shout  came 
from  Gravina,  who  had  cantered  ahead,  as  though 
in  reply  to  his  brother. 

"It  is  he,  Valentino,"  he  cried,  "just  before  us." 

The  elder  Orsini's  attention  was  instantly  di- 
verted. 

"  Yes,  it  is  Valentino ! "  he  exclaimed,  with 
a  brightening  face,  as  the  young  duke  and  his 
retinue  came  in  view ;  "  and  at  his  side  is  Miche- 
lotto,  grave  as  ever — and  to  think  I  could  have 
unsheathed  my  sword  against  a  comrade." 

Behind  Cesare  rode  Bamiro  d'Orco  and  Candale 


A  MASTERPIECE.  291 

with  a  troop  of  cuirassed  horsemen.  Further  away 
and  out  of  view  were  long  files  of  infantry  advanc- 
ing through  the  woods. 

Never  had  Valentino  seemed  so  joyous  of  mood 
as  when  on  this  sunshiny  morning  he  exchanged 
greetings  with  his  reinstated  lieutenants.  His 
words  were  cordial ;  he  grasped  the  hand  of  each 
with  good-will ;  his  expression  was  smiling  and 
benignant. 

"Shall  we  ride  together?"  he  asked,  suavely 
addressing  Pagolo  ;  and  as  they  turned  towards 
the  town,  he  beckoned  Vitellozzo  to  ride  beside 
him  at  his  left. 

"  For,"  said  he  pleasantly,  "  'tis  many  a  day 
since  we  held  converse  together."  None  but  Don 
Michele,  to  whom  it  was  directed,  observed  the 
quick,  stealthy  glance  which  meant — Oliverotto. 

The  Spaniard  presently  trotted  on  to  speak  a 
courteous  word  to  the  officer  commanding  the 
Orsini  escort,  and  then  cantered  leisurely  ahead. 
Valentino  rode  between  Pagolo  and  ViteUozzo, 
and  Gravina  followed,  accompanied  by  Ramiro  and 
Candale.  They  chatted  lightly  together,  and  more 
than  once  Pagolo  glanced  towards  the  still  de- 
jected lord  of  Citta  di  Castello,  as  though  to  de- 
ride his  apprehensions. 

Don  Michele  pursued  his  way  to  the  gate  of  the 
town,  where,  despite  his  preoccupations,  he  gave 
a  soldier's  scrutinizing  look  at  the  rampart,  the 


292  VALENTINO. 

draw-bridge,  the  balcony  screened  with  planks 
whence  scalding  pitch  could  be  poured  upon  the 
assailants  :  entering  upon  a  piazza,  he  beheld  the 
gayly  colored  frescoes,  the  poles  stretched  at  the 
second  and  third  stories  of  each  house,  whereon 
the  housewife  dried  her  linen,  the  windows  pro- 
jected over  the  narrow  streets,  the  space  growing 
narrower  till  at  the  last  windows  the  occupants 
could  have  touched  hands  across  the  street. 

In  a  square  farther  on  Oliverotto  was  found 
busy  with  his  soldiers,  assigning  the  guards  for 
the  quarters  of  the  town,  and  preparing  for  a 
salute  of  honor — a  bugle  flourish  and  a  roll  of 
the  high  scarlet  drums  when  the  duke's  approach 
should  be  signalled. 

The  exchange  of  salutations  was  brief.  Olive- 
rotto's  constraint  took  the  form  of  a  careless  blunt- 
ness  which  contrasted  with  the  courteous  bearing 
of  the  Spaniard. 

"Cesare  has  sent  for  you,"  said  Don  Michele; 
"  he  marvels  that  you  alone  come  not  to  welcome 
him.  Leave  here  your  troops  for  an  hour — or, 
better  still,  dismiss  them  to  their  quarters ;  we 
have  near  upon  four  thousand  men  to  house  some- 
where in  this  town,  and  if  trouble  arises  betwixt 
your  soldiery  and  ours  as  to  whose  lodging  is  this 
or  that,  it  will  make  a  graceless  beginning  to  the 
day." 

The     thought     of     being     dispossessed     acted 


A  MASTERPIECE.  293 

promptly  upon  Oliverotto.  He  immediately  or- 
dered bis  regiment  to  hasten  to  the  street  in 
which  it  had  been  billeted,  and  there  await  further 
commands.  Then  wheeling  about,  he  put  spurs  to 
his  horse,  and  leaving  Don  Michele  to  follow  as 
he  pleased,  rode  off  towards  the  gate  by  which  the 
cavalcade  must  enter,  and  not  far  beyond  which 
he  met  Borgia  surrounded  as  we  left  him. 

Michelotto  following  after,  stopped  to  chat  with 
the  captain  of  the  Orsini  escort,  who  had  halted 
his  command.  Immediately  behind  rode  Cesare's 
horsemen,  and  Michelotto,  as  soon  as  they  had 
passed,  desired  the  officer  of  the  Orisini  troop  to 
send  his  men  to  their  quarters,  adding — 

"  It  is  the  duke's  wish  that  no  soldiery  follow  to 
the  Potesta," 

In  this  Michele  was  mistaken,  for  as  Borgia  and 
the  barons  approached  the  gray  stone  house  with 
overhanging  moss-green  roof  of  tiles  which  had 
served  as  palace  to  the  Counts  of  Sinigallia,  the 
escort  of  Valentino's  troopers  rode  at  their  heels. 
At  the  door  the  officers  dismounted  and  entered 
together.  Pagolo  led  the  way,  with  Cesare  beside 
him.  They  passed  into  a  spacious  room  on  the 
ground  floor,  and  here  Borgia  suddenly  faced 
about. 

There  was  the  sound  of  many  footsteps  in  the 
hall,  the  guards  thronged  in,  the  outer  door  was 
violently  closed  and  fastened. 


294  VALENTINO. 

"What  means  this?"  cried  the  elder  Orsini  in 
amaze,  and  trembling  as  his  ghastly  fate  revealed 
itself. 

None  answered  but  Vitellozzo,  who,  in  a  voice 
hushed  almost  to  a  whisper,  said  : 

"  Pagolo,  farewell !  " 

A  crimson  flush  of  anger  overspread  Borgia's 
face  as  he  drew  his  rapier  and  passionately 
stamped  his  foot. 

Gravina  was  the  first  to  recover  from  the  stupor 
of  dismay.  His  long  sword  in  his  right  hand  and 
in  his  left  a  basket-handled  main  gauche,  he  faced 
the  bravos  who  crowded  upon  him.  Pagolo, 
frenzied  with  despair  and  remorse,  sprang  to  his 
rescue.  Oliverotto  closed  with  the  foremost  of 
two  fellows,  then  deftly  slipping  his  right  hand  to 
his  belt,  drew  thence  a  stiletto,  which  he  plunged 
to  the  hilt  in  his  opponent's  neck  between  the 
casque  and  corselet. 

The  room  resounded  with  the  clash  of  weapons, 
the  heavy  trampling  of  feet,  the  imprecations  of  the 
combatants. 

It  was  a  struggle  which  numerical  disproportion 
rendered  brief. 

Pagolo  was  brought  wounded  to  the  floor. 
Gravina's  guard  was  beaten  down  by  the  strokes 
of  half  a  dozen  blades,  and  he  was  disarmed  and 
bound.  Oliverotto  received  a  crushing  blow  from 
a  mace  full  on  his  iron  helmet  before  he  was  well 


A  MASTERPIECE.  295 

clear  of  his  first  assailant.  He  struggled  on  with 
the  furious  strength  of  despair ;  it  was  the  work  of 
several  minutes  to  overpower  him,  to  slip  round 
his  throat  a  silken  cord,  draw  it  tighter  till  the 
convulsive  gasps  ceased,  till  the  eyes  started  from 
the  purple  face,  till  the  nostrils  became  fixed  in 
their  dilatation  for  the  breath  that  came  not — till 
the  lord  of  Fermo  was  dead. 

And  Vitellozzo  alone  stood  looking  on  motion- 
less, horror-struck,  and  unresisting.  His  eyes 
passed  from  Borgia's  vindictive,  relentless  face  to 
the  struggles  before  him.  His  lips  moved,  but 
no  sound  came ;  the  veins  of  his  brow  were  dis- 
tended ;  his  brain  reeled ;  the  blood  throbbed  and 
surged  between  his  temples  till  the  forms  and  ob- 
jects before  him  became  blurred. 

And  now  flashed  upon  his  mind  one  of  those 
momentary  and  mysterious  transitions  of  thought 
which  in  rare  instances  attend  the  presence  of 
death. 

The  gruesome  scene  before  him  vanished,  and 
in  its  place  stretched  the  familiar  landscape  of 
his  Tuscan  home — shining  now  with  a  splendor 
rarer  than  the  beauty  of  Earth.  It  was  a  mirage 
of  the  mind,  a  marvellous  phantasm  of  the  imagi- 
nation. All  else  but  it  faded,  all  thought  of  danger 
passed,  till,  while  his  last  thoughts  were  thus  ten- 
derly centred  far  away,  the  sword-stroke  of  one 
who  stood  near  laid  him  lifeless. 


296  VALENTINO. 

The  Orsini  were  spared  until  news  came  from 
Borne,  two  weeks  later,  of  the  seizure  of  their 
uncle  the  cardinal. 

Then  they  were  strangled  in  the  upper  chamber 
which  had  been  their  prison. 

Simultaneously  with  the  capture  of  the  barons, 
their  troops  were  set  upon  in  their  quarters  by 
Borgia's  soldiery,  and  being  unprepared,  were, 
after  some  resistance,  made  prisoners  and  plun- 
dered— all  but  Oliverotto's  regiment,  which  made 
off  in  a  body  to  Urbino,  and  there  dispersed. 

Thus  culminated  the  crisis  of  Borgia's  affairs  in 
Bomagna. 

A  single  stroke  restored  to  him  its  entire  posses- 
sion, destroyed  the  conspiracy  which  had  held  him 
in  its  power,  and  brushed  away  the  army  of  his 
revolted  lieutenants. 

It  was  the  absolute  triumph  of  patient  and  pro- 
found malignity,  and  to  it  in  after  years  Ma- 
chiavelli  pointed  with  the  finished  judgment  of  a 
connoisseur  as  having  been  the  crowning  master- 
piece of  the  statecraft  of  his  time. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   BELVEDERE   VILLA. 

AT  sunrise  on  the  10th  of  August,  1503,  Elvira 
d'Este  leaned  from  the  window  of  a  Palazzetto  in 
Rome. 

The  air  was  touched  with  the  fragrance  of  hay- 
fields  reclaimed  here  and  there  upon  the  Cam- 
pania, and  in  passing  along  the  street  below  a 
fruit-vender's  cart  scented  it  with  a  breath  of 
luscious  sweetness. 

A  mist  on  Monte  Cavo  gave  promise  of  sultry 
heat.  A  contadino,  followed  by  the  shaggy  dogs 
bred  on  Italian  pasture  lands,  drove  in  his  flock 
of  bleating  goats.  The  city  lay  yet  in  the  drowse 
of  the  morning.  Few  blinds  were  lifted ;  not  an 
artisan  stirred  ;  the  quiet  was  ruffled  only  by  sub- 
dued and  distant  sounds. 

The  circle  of  walls  which,  as  the  last  vestige  of 
the  defence  of  the  ancient  world,  speaks  from  its 
crumbling  fragments  so  eloquently,  stood  then  a 
sun-browned  line  of  towers  and  curtains,  whence 
at  long  distances  a  sentinel  looked  upon  the  stretch 
of  vacant  green, 
13* 


298  VALENTINO. 

Elvira,  wrapped  in  a  cashmere  robe,  leaned  in 
reverie  at  her  casement.  Her  type  is  repeated 
in  the  modern  beauty  of  Italian  girls ;  deep,  wist- 
ful eyes ;  brow  half  covered  with  careless  hair ; 
nose  slightly  aquiline ;  face  less  full  than  fine ;  a 
glow  of  rose  beneath  the  brunette  complexion,  and 
with  ever  and  anon  a  furtive,  sidelong  glance. 

So  preoccupied  was  she  that  the  sound  of  persons 
ascending  the  stair  that  led  to  her  apartment  was 
unnoticed.  She  looked  and  listened  as  an  officer 
returning  from  a  summer  night's  revel  strode  by 
singing  as  he  went  a  song  which  the  soldiers  of 
Charles  the  Eighth  had  brought  across  the  Alps. 
She  caught  this  fragment  ere  the  singer's  voice 
was  lost — 

L'odeur  navrante  dez  fleurs 
Fust  le  dueil  de  nostre  amour, 
La  nuict  que,  parmy  ses  pleurs, 
Elle  me  diet — adieu  pour  tousjours. 

C'est  audessous  dez  fleurs  qu'elle  dort ; 
Souvent  je  traverse  le  lieu  : 
Je  plains  son  trespas  et  son  sort, 
Et  je  dys — pour  tousjours  adieu. 

And  so  Elvira  heard  not  the  steps  that  drew 
nearer — the  light  foot-fall  of  a  woman,  the  guarded 
tread  of  a  man.  The  moment  for  this  visit  had 
been  chosen  with  exactness  as  that  following  the 
withdrawal  of  the  half  dozen  soldiers  who  every 
night  guarded  the  closed  entrance.  These  had 


THE  BELVEDERE  VILLA.  299 

marched  away;  the  custode  had  previously  been 
bribed  to  inattention  ;  of  all  the  servants,  not  one 
stirred  or  noticed. 

Once  the  woman  had  paused,  assailed  by  such 
an  instant  of  hesitation  as  may  shake  a  fixed  pur- 
pose even  in  the  gentler  sex,  but  the  long-nurtured 
resolve  triumphed,  and  she  hastened  forward  with 
a  murmur  which  repetition  had  rendered  familiar  — 

"  I  told  him  if  ever  he  loved  another,  I  would 
kill  her." 

Her  companion  observed  this  hesitation  with 
impatient  disdain.  He  was  a  workman  simple  in 
his  methods,  strong,  determined,  unflinching — he 
had  been  well  paid  for  the  task  in  hand,  and  he 
looked  upon  vacillation  as  beneath  the  human  in- 
telligence. At  a  sign  from  his  companion,  he  pro- 
duced an  implement  wherewith  he  softly  opened 
the  clumsy  fastening  of  Elvira's  door,  and  they 
entered  her  room  together ; — then  he  closed  and 
bolted  it  behind  them  :  and  at  this  instant  a  little 
bird  that  hung  in  the  window  where  Elvira  stood, 
turned  the  seed  vessel  of  its  wicker  cage,  and  flew 
away  into  the  freedom  of  the  sunshine  and  the 
flowers. 

In  the  quiet  of  an  August  morning  the  day  wore 
on  with  rare  movement  in  the  hot  streets  ;  for  of 
traflic  or  manufacture  there  was  little  in  medi- 
aeval Rome.  The  mid-day  meal  of  the  populace, 


300  VALENTINO. 

the  pranzo  of  stewed  meat  and  maccaroni  was 
followed  by  a  siesta,  or  by  doles  far  niente  for  those 
to  whom  sleep  refused  to  come. 

Since  the  overthrow  of  the  barons,  Cesare  had 
beheld  around  him  a  cloudless  horizon. 

His  dukedom  assured ;  his  enemies  dead  or 
scattered ;  confident  of  a  preponderating  voice  in 
the  selection  of  the  next  successor  to  St.  Peter, 
with  youth,  health,  wealth,  and  a  valiant  army — 
what  could  the  future  refuse  ? 

Since  his  return  from  Komagna  some  weeks  pre- 
viously the  problem  around  which  all  other  inter- 
ests had  turned,  was  the  old  question  of  a  choice 
between  France  and  Spain — Louis  at  Milan,  or  de 
Cordova  at  Naples. 

The  Pontiff  had  not  been  apprised  by  his  son 
of  the  hostage  his  dire  straits  had  compelled  him 
to  yield  to  Machiavelli ;  and  since  it  had  not  been 
possible  to  employ  the  corps  of  Langres,  Cesare 
had  with  careless  effrontery  disowned  his  now  use- 
less compact  with  Louis,  and  had  turned  towards 
an  alliance  with  Madrid,  wherein  his  father,  by 
blood  and  sympathy  a  Spaniard,  had  not  been 
loath  to  follow.  It  was  the  preliminary  corre- 
spondence with  de  Cordova  which  led  to  an  inter- 
esting discovery. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  last  courier  from  Caserta, 
Cesare  had  said : 

"Whoever  has  been  prying  into  the  secret  box 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  301 

has  free  entrance  to  the  Vatican,  and  must  have 
knowledge  when  important  letters  arrive.  The 
visits  ceased  upon  discovery  of  the  guard :  for 
months  that  guard  has  been  discontinued  ;  the  spy 
is  presumably  aware  that  unusual  matters  are 
being  treated  with  the  Viceroy ;  he  knows  of  the 
arrival  of  a  messenger  ; — surely  if  the  room  is  left 
vacant  and  un watched  he  will  come." 

So  father  and  son  went  for  a  saunter  in  the  gar- 
den alleys,  followed  by  their  retinue  of  prelates 
and  pages,  while  ensconced  in  the  niche  of  an  un- 
used door  and  behind  a  Leyden  tapestry  they  left 
Giulia  Farnese. 

"  Suppose  the  unknown  visitor  discovers  you  ? 
Cesare  had  inquired  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  fear  him  not,"  answered  the  young  woman ; 
"whoever  comes  on  such  adventure  will  be  too 
much  pressed  to  play  at  hide  and  seek." 

The  Pope,  anxious  for  the  safety  of  his  mistress, 
unfastened  the  lock  which  closed  the  door  behind 
her. 

"The  moment  you  have  seen  him  enter,"  he 
explained,  "  your  task  is  done ;  open  softly  this 
door  and  escape  to  your  room." 

The  Pope  and  his  son  conversed  in  the  hearing 
of  their  reverent  following  during  the  long  hour  of 
their  promenade ;  chiefly  they  spoke  of  the  vast 
Basilica  whose  walls  had  risen  above  the  founda- 
tions, and  in  view  of  which  they  passed.  The 


302  VALENTINO. 

Pontiff  declared  his  purpose  of  using  for  its  com- 
pletion materials  to  be  taken  from  the  Coliseum, 
and  the  duke  urged  him  to  this  course  as  filling 
the  additional  purpose  of  demolishing  what  had 
served  in  by-gone  days  as  the  fortress  of  the  Fran- 
gipani,  and  might  again  be  converted  into  a  for- 
midable stronghold  by  the  enemies  of  the  Church. 
But  their  discourse  was  languid,  and  often  the  eyes 
of  both  rested  upon  the  windows  of  Giulia's  apart- 
ment, upon  the  sill  of  one  of  which  was  at  length 
displayed  a  vase  of  flowers — the  concerted  signal — 

It  is  done  ! 

Basilica,  Coliseum,  Frangipani  and  attendant 
retinue  were  all  dismissed  at  a  breath,  and  the 
Borgias  hastily  returned  to  the  room  in  which  the 
Farnese  awaited  them,  her  face  aglow  with  excite- 
ment. 

Her  story  was  concisely  told.  After  an  interval 
which  had  seemed  interminable,  the  door  opened 
and  some  one  entered  from  the  hall.  She  looked 
and  beheld  Cardinal  Corneto.  He  walked  to  the 
secret  locker,  opened  it  with  a  key  he  held  read}', 
shuffled  the  papers  with  trembling  hands,  failed  to 
find  what  he  was  in  search  of,  dropped  them  with 
an  imprecation,  reclosed  the  compartment,  and 
withdrew. 

The  cardinal's  fate  was  not  long  undetermined. 
A  messenger  from  the  Pontiff  brought  to  him  at  his 
adjacent  palace  the  gift  of  a  rarely  illuminated  mis- 


THE  BELVEDERE  VILLA.  303 

sal — the  Horce  Beata  Vergine — and  a  kindly  invita- 
tion to  supper  in  the  Belvedere  Villa  at  the  setting 
of  the  sun. 

A  guilty  conscience  awakened  his  alarm.  There 
was  nothing  extraordinary  in  the  summons ;  he  had 
often  broken  bread  with  his  spiritual  master  in 
the  latter's  favorite  summer-house ;  but  now,  in 
the  act  of  promising  attendance,  his  voice  changed, 
and  as  the  messenger  made  his  ceremonious  exit, 
the  cardinal  sank  unnerved  in  his  chair. 

He  remained  but  a  moment  thus  overcome. 
Hastening  through  an  obscure  vicolo  to  a  remote 
part  of  the  Vatican,  he  entered  unannounced  the 
chamber  of  Resequenz,  major-domo  to  the  Duke  of 
Romagna,  where  he  beheld  that  individual  seated 
at  a  table,  and  plunged  in  abstraction. 

"  Resequenz ! "  exclaimed  the  cardinal  in  an 
agony  of  apprehension,  eagerly  scrutinizing  the 
face  of  the  man  before  him,  as  the  latter  with  sud- 
den start  rose  to  his  feet  and  made  formal  obei- 
sance, "  a  fearful  dread  has  come  upon  me — I  be- 
hold a  spectre  from  which  you  alone,  perhaps,  can 
save  me." 

The  official  thus  addressed  had  been  taken  off 
his  guard,  and  failed  to  show  that  instantaneous 
self-possession  which  alone  would  have  deceived 
the  searching  gaze  of  his  panic-stricken  interlocu- 
tor. Something  unconsciously  sinister  in  his  face 
confirmed  the  cardinal's  alarms. 


304  VALENTINO. 

Throwing  himself  on  his  knees  in  a  frenzy 
of  terror,  he  clasped  the  hands  of  the  silent 
steward : 

"  It  is  true,  then !  "  he  cried ;  "  play  not  upon 
words,  but  answer  !  " 

"Would  not  your  fate  then  be  mine?"  asked 
the  other,  simply. 

The  cardinal  rose  to  his  feet.  He  trembled  vio- 
lently, but  the  transformation  of  a  nervous  fear  to 
the  certainty  of  a  danger  from  which  he  saw  but 
one  escape,  gave  him  presence  of  mind. 

"  You  will  not  lay  such  inhuman  cruelty  upon 
your  soul,"  he  pleaded.  "  Would  you  have  to 
answer  for  a  crime  against  one  of  the  heads  of  the 
Church?  Resequenz,"  piteously  cried  the  cardi- 
nal, "if  you  hope  for  mercy  hereafter,  take  what 
you  will  of  my  wealth  and  grant  me  life.  To- 
morrow I  will  fly ;  and  far  from  the  vengeance  of 
my  enemies,  and  remote  from  this  centre  of  infamy, 
I  will  end  my  days  in  seclusion,  at  peace  with 
Heaven  and  unmolested  by  the  world." 

"Why  not  escape  at  once?  Why  are  you  not 
already  on  the  road  ?  " 

"  Heartless  man !  would  you  have  me  go  empty 
handed  ?  The  sun  is  near  the  meridian ;  betwixt 
now  and  the  hour  of  this  accursed  supper  I  will 
make  ready,  and  at  midnight  start  for  Viterbo  with 
my  goods  and  a  retinue  of  men  sufficient  to  protect 
me  by  the  way,  and  pressing  forward  without  stop- 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  306 

ping  to  draw  breath,  I  can  be  in  safety  at  Perugia 
ere  pursuit  can  overtake." 

"Gold!  Gold!"  ejaculated  the  other  with  a 
sardonic  laugh ;  "  its  chains  link  you  even  to  the 
chance  of  death  in  preference  to  life  without 
it" 

"But,  dear  Besequenz,"  interposed  Corneto, 
"  there  need  be  no  chance  of  death." 

•'  And  what  would  you  pay  me  for  the  risk  to 
myself?" 

"  Fifty  thousand  sequins." 

The  major-dome's  face  illumined. 

"It  must  be  here  before  the  supper,"  he  said. 

"  Fear  not.  It  would  need  a  bolder  man  than  I 
to  trifle  with  you  now." 

"  You  must  feign  to  be  poisoned — cramp,  vertigo, 
quivering  chill — cause  yourself  to  be  assisted  from 
the  room,  and  after  that  it  will  not  be  my  fault  if 
antidotes  cure  you,  and  you  escape  from  Rome. 
But  at  Perugia  you  must  pretend  a  lingering 
illness." 

"  Of  course  ;  the  after-effect  of  the  drug." 

"  Here,"  said  the  major-domo,  "  I  put  into  your 
hand  this  blue  vial  which  the  duke  gave  me  an 
hour  ago.  Both  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  end 
of  the  repast  there  will  be  sweet  comfits,  sugar- 
coated  nuts,  and  the  like  ;  my  orders  are  to  pre- 
pare the  second  course,  which  I  shall  serve  myself ; 
you  will  notice  that  the  Pope  and  Valentino  and 


306  VALENTINO. 

the  Farnese  eat  not  a  morsel  from  that  dish,  how- 
ever much  they  take  upon  their  plates.  Do  you 
eat  plentifully  of  it,  and  let  the  effect  be  manifested 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

The  cardinal  nodded,  pressed  his  benefactor's 
hand  in  silence,  and  taking  with  him  the  poison 
vial,  turned  to  go. 

"  Be  not  seen  going  hence,"  whispered  Resequenz 
after  him,  "  or  a  rope  in  the  court  of  St.  Angelo 
would  be  presently  waiting  for  us  both." 

Corneto  turned  with  a  sudden  thought : 

"  Suppose  that  the  Borgias  examine  the  comfits 
and  discover  why  the  dose  failed  ?  " 

"  The  instant  you  are  out  of  the  room,"  answered 
the  other,  "  every  atom  remaining  in  the  dish  will 
be  destroyed." 
\ 

At  the  Belvedere  Villa,  as  the  sun  passed  below 
the  line  of  the  Ostian  hills,  Cardinal  Corneto  was 
in  waiting,  and  presently  Pope  Alexander,  accom- 
panied by  his  son  and  followed  by  Pulcio  and 
Resequenz,  and  the  usual  escort  of  pages,  were 
seen  leisurely  walking  through  the  garden  behind 
the  Vatican.  All  were  in  serene  good  spirits,  and 
no  one  scanning  Corneto's  placid  face  would  have 
suspected  the  tempest  of  the  morning. 

They  seated  themselves,  Cesare  and  the  cardinal 
at  the  right  and  left  of  the  Pope,  the  places  at  first 
set  for  Giulia  Farnese  and  for  Michelotto  having 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  307 

been  removed  on  account  of  the  "indisposition" 
of  those  personages. 

The  major-domo  withdrew  to  superintend  the 
serving  of  the  repast,  and  Pulcio  addressed  him- 
self to  a  brace  of  chained  falcons  perched  in  shady 
nooks  upon  a  veranda  where  was  also  suspended 
the  frame  of  staples  upon  which  the  birds  taken  in 
the  chase  were  hung. 

"I  have  a  letter  to-day  from  the  Viceroy,"  said 
the  Pope  to  the  cardinal ;  "  you  shall  read  it  to- 
morrow ;  his  letters  always  put  one  in  good  humor ; 
so  calm,  so  practical,  so  decided,  and  so  amiable 
withal." 

"  The  Viceroy  is  a  man  of  the  world,"  answered 
Corneto,  slightly  troubled  by  an  allusion  to  dis- 
patches from  Naples. 

"  Wait  till  he  grows  a  few  years  older,"  remarked 
Cesare,  "and  he  may  not  be  so  smooth-spoken. 
Time  plants  a  crotchet  beneath  every  white  hair." 

"Master,"  inquired  the  dwarf  turning  from  the 
birds,  "do  white  hairs,  think  you,  represent  the 
sorrows  or  the  indulgences  of  life  ?  " 

"When  mine  begin  to  come,  Pulcio,"  answered 
the  duke,  "  I  shall  rather  please  myself  by  thinking 
that  each  stands  for  a  pleasure,  than  that  all  of 
them  have  sprung  from  a  grief." 

Reseque'nz  entered  at  this  moment,  accompanied 
by  servants  who  offered  a  prelude  of  sweets. 

These  were  followed  by  the  piece  de  resistance  of 


308  VALENTINO. 

the  meal,  a  boar's  head,  with  slices  cut  from  the 
hams  prepared  in  the  manner  of  the  modern  agro 
dolce. 

"  I  pray  you  eat  heartily,"  said  the  Pope,  "if  but 
to  keep  me  company.  It  is  said  that  large  eaters 
are  not  graceful  men ;  but  surely  a  small  eater 
never  was  a  good  companion." 

Agro  dolce  gave  place  to  a  peacock  with  tail 
magnificently  spread,  which  was  the  supreme  effort 
of  the  Italian  cuisine. 

"  A  beautiful  dish,"  remarked  the  cardinal,  de- 
clining to  be  helped  from  it,  "  but  a  tough  bird." 

"  So  say  I,"  assented  Alexander,  "  but  my  cooks 
would  die  of  chagrin  if  I  forbade  their  serving  it 
occasionally." 

The  silver  chalices  they  drank  from  were  replen- 
ished with  white  wine  of  Montefiascone,  or  with 
red  from  the  slopes  of  Vesuvius. 

"  I  notice  we  have  a  flask  of  Cyprus,"  said  Ce- 
sare,  emptying  his  cup. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  it,"  answered  Alexander ; 
"it  was  brought  doubtless  as  a  matter  of  course." 

"It  stands  in  the  ante  camera,"  rejoined  his  son, 
"  but  be  it  of  your  store  or  of  mine,  let  us  keep  it 
for  the  last." 

Upon  hearing  this  colloquy,  the  dwarf  left  the 
room  and  returned  a  moment  later. 

"  I  have  laid  the  Chypre  in  snow,"  he  explained. 

"Your   Holiness  will   have   been   pleased,"  re- 


THE  BELVEDERE  VILLA.  309 

marked  Corneto,  addressing  the  Pope,  "  to  hear  of 
the  discovery  at  Hadrian's  Tiburtine  villa." 

"  What  is  the  discovery  ?  "  inquired  Cesare. 

"  A  mosaic  the  size  of  this  table,  representing  a 
basket  of  flowers,  and  of  marvellous  workmanship." 

"  Those  ancients  were  wonderful  men ;  they 
made  their  roses  and  their  loves  immortal ;  only 
their  songs  cannot  reach  to  us.  "Tis  pity,  for  how 
melodious  must  the  Greek  and  how  inspiriting 
must  the  Roman  music  have  been." 

"Simple  and  monotonous,  though,"  objected 
Alexander ;  "  cymbals,  trumpets  with  three  notes, 
the  lyre  with  half  a  dozen,  and  pipes  in  abundance 
— a  wretched  concert  we  should  call  that  now." 

The  peacock  was  removed  after  sustaining  but 
moderate  damage,  and  its  place  was  filled  by  a  heap 
of  sugar  egg-shells,  each  of  which  contained  a  quail 
stuffed  with  herbs. 

There  were  no  game  laws  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, and  quails  were  eaten  in  August  as  in  Decem- 
ber. This  proved  a  welcome  dish,  and  paid  the 
penalty  of  the  peacock's  toughness. 

"  Is  there  news  from  the  French  in  the  Abruzzi  ?  " 
inquired  the  cardinal,  moistening  his  fingers  in  a 
silver  basin. 

"  Only  a  budget  of  descriptions  by  eye-witnesses 
of  Ives  d'Allegre's  defeat ;  the  Spaniards  set  upon 
him  in  a  difficult  place,  and  drove  half  his  army 
into  the  Garigliano." 


310  VALENTINO. 

"  Strange  that  France  and  Spain  are  not  yet  at 
war." 

"  Nay,  wherefore  !  it  was  impossible  for  the  van- 
guards thrust  thus  far  forward  to  remain  month 
after  month  in  face  of  each  other  without  collision. 
The  Spaniards,  like  good  soldiers,  caught  their  op- 
portunity on  the  wing ;  but  peace  between  the  two 
countries  might  even  yet  be  preserved." 

"  D'Allegre  has  an  irritable  disposition,"  ob- 
served Cesare  ;  "  this  reverse  has  occurred  through 
impatience  that  made  him  accept  battle  at  a  disad- 
vantage. To  lose  one's  temper  is  the  folly  of  our 
nature.  In  Romagna  d'Allegre  was  always  quarrel- 
ling ;  being  alone  in  command  in  the  Abruzzi,  with 
no  one  to  dispute  with,  he  accepts  the  challenge  of 
his  adversary  with  the  petulance  of  a  child. 

"  I  recall  an  instance  of  fortitude  that  suggested 
the  possession  in  an  individual  of  that  self-mas- 
tery which  no  provocation  can  shake. 

"  At  the  siege  of  Capua,  the  French  were  cannon- 
ading, and  only  when  the  place  was  taken  did  we 
know  what  havoc  had  been  wrought.  Each  day  a 
company  of  musicians,  concealed  from  view,  played 
to  the  defenders,  sweet,  soft,  thrilling  strains,  of 
which  we,  far  away  and  standing  amid  the  dis- 
charge of  our  cannon,  could  sometimes  catch  a  faint 
refrain. 

"  It  seemed  the  very  type  of  calmness  in  the  face 
of  death." 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  311 

The  fateful  moment  had  come,  and  the  second 
course  of  sweets  was  placed  before  the  feasters,  by 
whom  it  was  observed  with  different  sentiments. 
Corneto  bore  himself  with  heroic  self-possession. 
Rising,  he  took  the  dish  from  the  hand  of  Re- 
sequenz,  who  was  about  to  offer  it  to  the  Pope,  and 
with  profound  reverence  presented  it  himself,  by 
that  act  implying  that  although  permitted  to  sit  at 
the  same  table,  he  was  but  the  menial  of  the  head 
of  the  Church. 

Alexander  took  several  pieces  upon  his  plate  ; 
the  cardinal  resumed  his  place,  the  major-domo 
handed  him  the  dish  from  which  he  helped  him- 
self, and  passed  it  to  Cesare,  who  declined  it,  say- 
ing : 

"  Sweets  once  at  a  meal  is  enough  for  my  taste." 

The  wine  of  Cyprus  appeared  at  this  moment 
fresh  from  its  cold  bath,  and  with  a  few  flakes  of 
the  snow  of  the  Apennines  in  the  spaces  of  the 
straw  wrapper  that  enfolded  the  glass.  The  gob- 
lets were  filled  while  the  Pope  nibbled  a  crust  of 
bread,  leaving  his  sugar  plums  untasted. 

Both  he  and  his  son  observed  that  the  cardinal 
eat  without  stint  of  those  on  his  plate. 

Resequenz  also  watched  him  with  interest,  for 
the  part  of  a  poisoned  man  was  now  to  be  acted 
before  the  eyes  of  connoisseurs.. 

The  cardinal  went  on  with  his  candies  with  in- 
creasing relish. 


312  VALENTINO. 

"  To  return  to  Ives  d'Allegre,"  he  said,  address- 
ing Valentino  with  the  satisfied  good  humor  of  one 
who  has  eaten  and  drunk  well,  "  I  have  often 
thought,  and  the  mention  of  military  affairs  re- 
calls the  subject,  that  even  if  your  superb  stroke 
at  Sinigallia  had  not  been  made,  you  with  your 
army  would  none  the  less  have  crushed  the  Or- 
sini." 

"  It  might  have  been  so,"  replied  the  duke  re- 
flectively ;  "  nothing  is  stronger  than  desire  backed 
by  despair." 

"  But  it  was  surer  and  safer  in  the  method 
adopted,"  pursued  the  cardinal,  glad  to  talk  upon 
a  subject  which  could  not  be  agreeable  to  the  re- 
membrance of  either  of  his  companions. 

"Sinigallia  has  made  me  many  enemies,"  said 
Cesare,  answering  the  cardinal ;  "  success  is  the 
one  unpardonable  sin." 

"  Success !  "  exclaimed  Corneto,  emptying  his 
silver  cup.  "What  a  pregnant  word  is  that.  No 
man  can  look  without  emotion  down  the  vista  of 
life  to  the  brilliant  days  when  all  was  new,  and  the 
future  seemed  a  galaxy  of  stars.  But  how  glad 
must  be  the  retrospect  when  the  harvest  is  ours, 
and  all  the  things  we  coveted  are  garnered." 

"  Is  the  Chypre  cold  enough  ? "  inquired  the 
dwarf  as  the  three  goblets  were  set  down  empty. 

"  Ay,  it  keeps  its  subtle  flavor,  which  too  much 
snow  would  spoil." 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  313 

The  servants  had  withdrawn  from  the  room,  and 
only  Kesequenz  remained  standing  in  respectful 
attention  and  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  cardinal. 
It  was  time,  he  thought,  for  the  effect  of  the 
sweets. 

"I  once  heard  you  say,"  remarked  Corneto  to 
Cesare,  "  that  there  are  seven  ways  to  strike  an 
enemy;  through  life,  health,  freedom,  reputation, 
wife,  children,  property." 

"  I  but  quoted  Galeazzo  Visconti,"  answered  the 
duke. 

"  And  have  you  never  thought,  since  Sinigallia, 
that  the  greatest  of  all  faults  is  to  suffer  the  heirs 
of  the  dead  to  escape  ?  Think  you  the  children  of 
Vitellozzo,  and  the  son  of  Pagolo  Orsini  will  not 
rise  to  confront  you  with  arms,  or  to  strike  you 
unawares  hereafter  ?  " 

The  answer  was  upon  Valentino's  lips,  when 
'  Kesequenz  perceived  at  length  the  first  indication 
of  the  comedy  to  be  enacted. 

Alexander  and  Cesare  also  observed  it,  and  fixed 
their  eyes  in  silence  upon  the  cardinal,  whose  face, 
till  now  flushed  with  the  good  cheer,  had  changed 
color.  His  jaw  dropped,  his  breath  became  la- 
bored, the  eyes  stared  vacantly,  a  shudder  con- 
vulsed his  frame. 

"  Done  to  perfection,"  murmured  Resequenz  to 
himself;  "he  must  have  seen  a  poisoned  man  die." 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  cried  Cesare  in  pretended  amaze. 
14 


314  VALENTINO. 

"  Give  him  air  and  water,"  he  said  as  the  major- 
domo  sprang  to  the  cardinal's  assistance.  But  the 
latter  shook  him  off  with  a  gasp  of  anguish. 
"Poisoned!  Poisoned!"  he  shrieked  with  a  wail 
that  rung  down  the  silent  gardens  of  the  Belvedere. 
"  Your  promise  was  false — you  have  killed  me  !  " 

Resequenz  started  with  a  sudden  thrill  of  dismay. 

"  Yet  no,"  continued  Corneto  in  a  stifled  voice— 
"I  wrong  you  .  .  .  it  is  that  hateful  dwarf 
.  .  .  he  got  the  vial  from  me  ...  he  has 
poured  it  in  the  wine  ...  oh !  ...  it  is 
the  wine  that  burns  like  fire !  " 

Valentino  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  glanced  hastily 
about  him,  but  the  jester  had  vanished.  His  eyes 
fell  on  the  face  of  his  father — there  too  he  beheld 
the  change  of  color,  the  vacant  stare,  the  head 
dropped  backward,  a  foam  gathering  upon  the  lips. 

Summoned  by  the  cries  of  the  cardinal,  the  ser- 
vants rushed  into  the  room. 

"  Quick,"  said  Valentino,  to  the  foremost  of  them, 
"  take  me  to  the  palace  ...  to  my  room 
.  .  .  one  of  you  bring  the  drops  that  .  .  ." 

His  utterance  failed,  his  body  became  rigid  be- 
neath the  first  spasm  of  the  fiery  poison,  he  would 
have  fallen,  had  not  strong  arms  borne  him  from 
the  room. 

By  Resequenz's  direction  the  Pontiff  and  the 
cardinal  were  similarly  removed,  each  to  his  cham- 
ber. 


THE  BELVEDERE   VILLA.  315 

Cesare  was  laid  upon  his  bed,  and  a  leech  was 
sent  for.  On  hearing  this  order,  he  murmured, 
"No  .  .  .  Ormes." 

One  of  the  servants  hastened  away  in  quest  of 
the  magician ;  a  second  ran  to  find  some  philter 
of  his  own,  the  third  stood  awestruck.  The  duke's 
power  of  speech  had  nearly  failed,  and  his  face 
was  distorted  with  the  spasm  of  an  approaching 
convulsion,  but  with  the  supreme  effort  of  one 
whose  life  depends  upon  utterance,  he  said  in  ac- 
cents barely  audible  : 

"The  ivory  cabinet  in  the  next  room — break  it 
— in  a  secret  drawer  is  an  antidote  .  .  ." 

The  servant  hurried  from  the  room,  and  a  mo- 
ment later  was  heard  the  crash  of  the  cabinet 
being  wrenched  to  pieces. 

The  duke's  eyes  became  fixed  upon  a  presence 
that  had  crept  swiftly  to  his  side.  It  was  Pulcio, 
his  worn  old  face  suddenly  tenfold  wrinkled,  and 
with  mouth  askew  and  quivering.  "  It  was  I  did 
it,"  he  hissed  in  Valentino's  ear ;  "  I  met  Corneto 
with  the  blue  bottle  in  his  hand ;  I  knew  what 
it  was,  I  had  seen  one  like  it  before.  I  swore  if  he 
did  not  give  it  me  I  would  denounce  him  as  plot- 
ting to  poison  you — ha !  ha ! "  laughed  the  dwarf 
— the  poor  fool's  last  jest !  "  And  now  my  heart 
is  content,  for  she  is  avenged." 

"  She,"  faintly  echoed  Valentino,  "  of  whom  speak 
you?" 


316  TALESTEfO. 

"  Of  Nerina — my  little  daughter  whom  you  took 
from  me  three  years  ago.  She  died  dishonored — 
but  that  crime,  at  least,  you  expiate  ! n 

The  steps  of  the  returning  servant  were  heard, 
but  ere  he  passed  the  threshold  the  fool  had  gone. 

Valentino  was  past  speech  and  barely  conscious. 
The  servant  poured  a  little  of  the  essence  into  his 
mouth.  A  moment  after  arrived  Onnes,  breath- 
less; he  snatched  the  vial  from  the  domestic, 
glanced  at  it,  and  raising  the  sufferer's  head, 
poured  all  that  remained  down  his  throat. 

The  effect  of  this  remedy  became  presently  ap- 
parent ;  the  rigid  muscles  relaxed,  the  convulsion 
which  was  commencing  ceased,  the  breathing  show- 
ed that  the  heart  was  recovering  its  action. 

Don  Michele  entered  the  room  aghast  at  the  re- 
sult of  the  attempt  upon  the  cardinal  Soon  after 
came  del  Nero ;  for  the  news  had  flashed  over  the 
city  that  the  Pope  was  dead,  and  the  Duke  of  Bo- 
miigiMt  dving. 

"  Will  he  live?  "  asked  the  condottiere, 

"Yes,"  answered  Onnes;  "begone  all  of  you, 
and  by  midnight  I  shall  have  brought  him  back  to 
consciousness.'* 

The  condottiere  motioned  Don  Michele  to  fol- 
low as  he  withdrew.  They  passed  into  a  neigh- 
boring room,  and  del  Nero  said : 

**  I  have  here  that  which  was  delivered  to  me 
from  the  lady  Ginevra  Savelli,  with  the  message 


THE  BELVEDERE    VILLA,  317 

that  it  should  be  given  the  duke  without  an  hour's 
delay." 

"  Nothing  can  be  given  him  for  a  day  or  two  at 
the  earliest,"  answered  Michelotto. 

"  He  was  ever  impatient  to  get  whateyer  she 
sent  him." 

"  He  will  not  be  impatient  now." 

"  Shall  I  leave  it  here  till  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  What  is  it  that  you  have  ?  " 

"  This  basket" 

"  A  basket  of  fruit !  nay,  he  wants  no  fruit  now, 
no  matter  by  whom  sent." 

"Who  said  it  was  fruit?  I  know  not  its  con- 
tents." 

Michelotto  lifted  a  corner  of  the  lid. 

"  Strange,"  he  said,  "  it  seems  filled  with  linen." 

"  Look !  what  is  that '? "  exclaimed  the  bravo, 
peeping  over  his  shoulder — "  it  is  stained  with 
blood." 

A  cloth  was  lifted,  and  there,  the  head  severed 
from  the  body,  lay  the  white,  agonized  face  of  the 
erring  and  ill-fated  girL 

A  cry  of  horror  escaped  the  lips  of  both  the 
hardened  men  who  looked  upon  it 

"  Elvira !  Povera  ragazza  ! "  ejaculated  Miche- 
lotto, "  Ginevra's  jealousy  has  killed  her.  Go  get 
this  quickly  out  of  sight,  Cesare  shall  never  see 
it ; "  and  he  pushed  del  Nero  from  the  room  with 
his  ghastly  burden  in  his  arms. 


318  VALENTINO. 

The  ccndottiere  made  his  way  through  the 
streets  which  thronged  with  the  populace,  flocking 
this  way  and  that,  bearing  torches,  questioning 
one  another,  and  adding  to  the  general  alarm  by 
the  fearful  rumors  which  sprang  into  circulation. 
At  the  bridge  of  St.  Angelo  the  guards  had  been 
doubled ;  hurrying  from  their  barrack  came  a  col- 
umn of  infantry  to  seize  the  approaches  to  the 
Vatican. 

The  posts  at  the  city  gates  were  ordered  to 
be  on  the  alert ;  it  was  vaguely  feared  that  some 
calamity  was  about  to  smite  the  city,  and  that  the 
Pope  and  his  son  had  been  but  the  first  victims 
of  an  unknown  enemy. 

But  none  spoke  a  word  of  commiseration. 

Some  shouted  for  Colonna,  and  some  called  that 
the  Orsini  were  at  hand  :  but  all,  between  the  ex- 
clamations of  apprehension  and  the  faction  cries 
with  which  they  made  the  air  resound,  cursed  the 
fallen  Borgias.  It  almost  reached  the  sick  man's 
room — that  startling  cry  of  rage  and  vengeance 
long  restrained — 

"  To  the  Tiber  with  Duca  Valentino !  " 


CONCLUSION. 

ALEXANDER  expired  eight  days  after  the  supper 
at  the  Belvedere  Villa.  Cardinal  Corneto,  who  re- 
covered and  lived  for  several  years,  bears  competent 
witness  to  the  power  of  the  poison  to  which  his 
host  succumbed. 

"Soon  after  swallowing  the  wine,"  he  wrote 
to  Paolo  Jove,  "  I  felt  a  burning  flame  within 
me." 

Contemporaneous  writers  add  particulars  which 
their  age  accepted — that  the  devil  appeared  and 
gazed  impatiently  on  the  sick  Pontiff,  and  that  a 
black  dog,  which  took  neither  meat  nor  drink, 
could  not  be  driven  from  the  room. 

The  chamber  in  which  the  Pope  breathed  his 
last  may  still  be  seen  by  the  favored  few  to  whom 
the  Appartamento  Borgia  is  opened.  Upon  its 
wall  hangs  Alexander's  portrait  as  one  of  the  Magi, 
kneeling  before  a  Virgin  personified  by  Giulia  Far- 
nese. 

Few  relics  survive  of  the  Borgias. 

Of  all  the  likenesses  painted  of  this  family,  but 
one  remains  of  the  Pope,  three  of  Valentino,  and 
only  a  medal  of  Lucretia.  One  of  the  state  swords 


320  VALENTINO. 

of  Valentino,  which,  was  borne  before  him  in  proces- 
sion at  Naples — a  magnificent  blade  inlaid  with 
gold — is  in  possession  of  the  descendant  of  his 
old  enemies  the  Caetani. 

At  the  Church  of  St.  Paul,  where  are  the  more  or 
less  ideal  portraits  of  all  the  Bishops  of  Rome,  a 
blank  space  till  recently  appeared,  where  should 
have  been  the  features  of  Alexander;  the  Holy 
See  would  fain  have  forgotten  him,  and  have 
brought  others  to  do  the  same. 

The  visitor  to  St.  Peter's  sees  to-day  the  sculp- 
tured portrait  of  Giulia  Farnese  above  the  sar- 
cophagus of  her  brother  Paul  III.  She  reclines  in 
graceful — not  to  say  voluptuous — ease,  gazing  down 
the  distance  of  the  Basilica.  Her  nudity  shocked 
Innocent  X.,  and  he  caused  a  leaden  drapery,  paint- 
ed white,  to  be  applied  to  her  marble  limbs. 
However  vague  many  parts  of  her  life,  its  ignoble 
fact  is  not  to  be  veiled ;  she  remains  to  history  a 
figure  of  beauty,  famous  as  the  mistress  of  Pope 
Borgia,  whose  love  she  retained  to  the  last. 

At  Ferrara  in  1506  Don  Ferrante  fomented  a 
conspiracy  to  assassinate  his  brother  Alfonzo. 
The  plot  was  discovered,  and  its  author  seized. 
Don  Ferrante  threw  himself  at  his  brother's  feet. 
The  latter,  in  his  rage,  struck  the  culprit  heavily 
in  the  face  with  a  stick,  destroying  the  sight  of  one 
eye. 


CONCLUSION.  321 

At  the  intercession  of  Lucretia,  sentence  of 
death  was  changed  at  the  scaffold  to  perpetual  im- 
prisonment in  a  tower  adjoining  the  palace. 

So  the  brothers  lived  thirty-four  years,  the  one 
in  a  prison  cell,  with  but  the  drifting  clouds  in 
view  by  day,  and  the  solemn  stars  at  night,  the 
other  ruling  in  joyous  magnificence  till  death,  re- 
moving him,  liberated  Don  Ferrante  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three,  gray,  bent,  so  long  unconscious  of  the 
world  as  to  have  grown  indifferent  to  it. 

For  seventeen  years  Lucretia  lived  at  Ferrara, 
ever  more  and  more  beloved  and  honored — a  duti- 
ful wife,  an  exemplary  mother,  bearing  so  great  a 
tribute  to  the  bonds  of  blood  that  she  lamented 
the  death  of  Valentino. 

The  judgment  of  impartial  contemporaries  pre- 
sents her  as  amiable,  well  meaning,  frivolous,  and 
unfortunate  in  the  influences  of  her  early  life. 
Her  faults  resulted  from  vicissitudes  for  which  she 
was  only  partly  answerable.  She  sought  to  efface 
by  the  rectitude  of  her  after  years  the  stigma 
which,  deservedly  or  not,  had  been  fastened  upon 
the  repute  of  her  youth. 

During  the  night  of  the  24th  of  June,  1519,  sur- 
rounded by  her  husband  and  her  children,  she 
passed  away. 

Her  body  was  laid  in  the  vaults  of  the  Convent 
of  Corpus  Christi.  The  place  of  her  interment 
was  included  in  demolitions  hastily  made  for  mili- 
14* 


322  VALENTINO. 

tary  purposes  a  century  ago,  and  now  even  its  origi- 
nal situation  is  uncertain. 

Thus  is  curiously  fulfilled  the  prediction  of  the 
magician  Ormes — "  an  unknown  grave" 

Her  vengeance  accomplished,  Ginevra  fled  to  a 
villa  of  the  Colonna  family  near  the  modern  town 
of  Fondi. 

But  no  suspicion  fastened  upon  her.  Elvira's 
death  was  attributed  to  Borgia,  and  when  the  out- 
cry from  Ferrara  subsided,  she  was  remembered 
only  as  one  of  his  victims. 

Filled  with  the  fame  of  the  Countess  Savelli's 
beauty,  Heyradin  Pasha  landed  one  night  with  a 
hundred  Barbary  Moors  and  attempted  to  carry  her 
off. 

Boused  by  the  noise,  she  sprang  from  her  bed- 
room window  and  escaped  to  the  hills.  A  dan- 
gerous fever  followed  this  exposure,  and  she  died  a 
week  later  at  the  Convent  of  Santa  Maddalena, 
where  she  had  taken  refuge. 

She  passed  away  in  convulsive  delirium,  and  the 
sister  who  watched  beside  her  listened  amazed  to 
ravings  of  the  white  face  of  a  dead  woman. 

Once  more  did  Valentino  see  Machiavelli :  of 
that  interview  the  Florentine  relates  that  Borgia, 
lying  paralyzed  in  his  darkened  room,  told  that  he 
had  anticipated  the  contingencies  that  might  arise 


CONCLUSION.  323 

at  his  father's  death,  and  had  made  provision  for 
them  all,  but  that  he  had  not  foreseen  himself 
crippled  and  helpless  at  that  juncture. 

Deprived  of  his  guiding  hand,  and  left?  adrift 
amid  stormy  times,  his  fortunes  foundered  while 
he  still  lay  beneath  the  shadow  of  death. 

The  treasure  which  he  committed  to  Candale  to 
be  delivered  to  Lucretia  for  safe  keeping,  was 
seized  by  the  Florentines. 

The  Orsini  raised  a  host  against  him  in  Ro- 
magna,  and  conquered  his  dukedom  by  a  few  swift 
strokes. 

The  Colonna  faction,  too  long  alienated,  listened 
to  appeals  and  promises  and  threats  with  equal  in- 
difference. 

Julius  della  Eovere,  who  cherished  an  implaca- 
ble hatred  of  the  Borgias,  succeeded  to  the  Pontif- 
icate in  November ;  the  French  King  sustained  re- 
verses, the  Spaniards  remembered  Valentino's 
alliance  with  their  enemy — neither  friend  nor  re- 
source remained. 

Oblivious  to  the  fact  that  others  could  be 
faithless  as  himself,  he  ventured  on  board  ship  at 
Civita  Vecchia  under  safe  conduct,  was  seized  by 
order  of  the  Pope,  and  delivered  to  Gonsalvo  de 
Cordova,  who  sent  him  to  the  Castle  of  Seville. 

Here  he  remained  a  prisoner  for  two  years,  suf- 
fering occasionally  acute  relapses  from  the  poison 
that  yet  lingered  in  his  blood. 


324  VALENTINO. 

In  October,  1506,  lie  escaped  and  took  refuge 
with  the  King  of  Navarre,  at  that  moment  in  con- 
flict with  Don  Loys  de  Beamonte,  Constable  of 
Lerina;  while  awaiting  better  days,  Cesare  took 
service  under  him  and  received  command  of  the 
corps  put  in  the  field  against  this  revolted  vassal. 

On  the  12th  day  of  March,  1507,  Cesare,  at  the 
head  of  some  light  horse,  pursued  a  sortie  back 
toward  the  castle  limits  and  ran  full  into  an  am- 
buscade. 

His  soldiers  fled  at  the  sight. 

Unhorsed,  he  fought  valiantly  on  foot,  until 
overwhelmed  by  numbers  and  pierced  with  wounds. 

His  body  was  stripped  of  armor  and  ornaments, 
and  being  found  on  the  ensuing  morning  by  a 
party  of  searchers,  it  was  thrown  across  a  mule, 
borne  to  the  Cathedral  of  Pampeluna,  and  there 
buried. 

So  perished  Valentino  at  the  age  of  thirty-one, 
leaving  only  the  brief  chapter  of  his  dramatic  and 
sanguinary  career. 

Across  four  centuries  of  intermediate  history  we 
look  back  to  the  suffering  and  desolation  of  me- 
diaeval days  in  Italy. 

We  marvel  at  the  ghastly  visions  which  remain 
of  that  sombre  period  :  it  is  difficult  to  us  to  com- 
prehend such  men  and  such  times. 

The  long  anguish  is  ended.     No  more  the  tramp 


CONCLUSION.  325 

of  foreign  soldiery :  no  longer  the  strife  of  city 
with  city.  The  light  of  a  beautiful  day  has  dawned. 
The  fairest  hope  of  Dante  has  been  surpassed,  and 
he,  the  poet-patriot,  is  honored  and  loved  by  a 
united  nation  of  his  countrymen  whose  capital  is 
—ROME. 


University  or 

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